Effectiveness of Hands-Only CPR Good News

An article on MSNBC reports,

two new studies conclude that "hands-only" chest compression is enough to save a life. They are the largest and most rigorous yet to suggest that breathing into a victim's mouth isn't needed in most cases.

This is really good news for a number of reasons.  The first is that it is easier to perform, requiring less skill and training.  A second major factor is that most folks who are not medical or healthcare professionals are far more willing to perform chest compressions than the mouth-to-mouth procedure.

At Support For Home In-Home Care, we require that our Home Care Aides are CPR certified, at the health professional level.  That is very unusual, however, even in the industry, much less in the general population.  The studies appear to indicate that 911 Dispatcher directed, hands-only CPR was most effective.  Bystanders operating under the Dispatcher's guidance were highly successful, even if they had not been trained in CPR techniques.  The simplicity of the hands-only approach contributes a lot to that.

The results confirm the American Heart Association's own recommendations, which have been hands-only for the last two years.  We still will require CPR training for our Home Care Aides, but this is still really good news.

Best wishes, Bert