CPR, or Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, has been touted by a number of medical professionals as a life-saving procedure that should be administered on time. Unfortunately, there are very few people who actually understand what CPR is all about. Here are five of the things that you probably do not know, but need to know, about CPR:
- With the recent release of the 2010 Guidelines form the American Health Association (AHA), more and more first-aiders as well as medical professionals are promoting compression-only CPR (COCPR). Based on studies, the timely application of COCPR is able to increase the rate of survival among adult victims. COCPR has also been credited with increasing the chances of the victim pulling through with minimal to no effect on their neurological health.
- CPR by modern standards does not follow anymore the age-old A-B-C route. Since the focus now is on administering chest compression, the procedure currently being followed by paramedics and medical professionals is C-A-B – Chest compression followed by checking of Airway, and then administration of artificial respiration of breathing.
- In most cities in the US, it would take a paramedic about 4 minutes to get to where the patient is. This few minutes are crucial as any minute that the cells and tissues are unable to get the nutrients they need can increase the likelihood of the onset of tissue necrosis. If left unattended, this could lead to organ failure as well as death. This makes the immediate administration of CPR even more important.
- Regardless of how you do it, CPR by someone not trained to do so is less likely to harm the victim compared to just waiting for someone knowledgeable to do it. However, bystanders have to keep in mind that chest compressions should be at least 2 inches deep and should follow the rhythm of “Stayin’ Alive”. It should also be administered immediately in order to make the most of the oxygen that is still in the person’s lungs.
- Continuous chest compressions have been credited with being able to revive a victim in a number of cases. Of course this does not mean that the victim is already out of the woods. It is still best to have the victim be checked out by a medical professional.
One thing more than a bystander has to keep in mind is that all cardiac arrests would call for the administration of chest compression. If you are not aware of what caused the person to fall unconscious, err on the side of caution. Assume that the person is suffering from cardiac arrest and immediately administer chest compression.
Although compression-only CPR is promising, you also have to keep in mind that it can only be used for adult victims. For children and babies, AHA as well as medical professionals recommend a different procedure in administering CPR.
To be sure that you are able to confidently administer CPR, one option that you should look into is undergoing the CPR Certification and training program being provided by Citywide CPR.
