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By Sherrie Norris
Recent headlines indicate that “mouth-to-mouth” resuscitation
may no longer be necessary in certain situations and that compression-only
CPR, commonly known as “hands-only CPR” is sufficient.
A recent statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) says
that mouth-to-mouth measures do not necessarily improve outcomes
after cardiac arrest and is probably a major reason that CPR is
not more commonly used by bystanders.
That’s a hard pill to swallow for some in the life-saving
business, who, like Lynn Norwood, have been teaching the “full-cycle”
CPR technique for many years and remains passionate about helping
save lives.
Representing the Watauga County Chapter of the American Red Cross,
Norwood is helping to get the word out in an effort to make sure
the public has a clear understanding of the new concept.
Norwood said that the new recommendation for bystander intervention
“does not apply to unwitnessed cardiac arrest, cardiac arrest
in children, or cardiac arrest presumed to be of noncardiac origin.”
With much confusion surrounding the issue, Norwood agrees that,
“Any CPR is better than no CPR.
“If people have not been trained, we hope that if they see
an adult suddenly collapse, they will initiate chest compressions.
If they’ve been trained, the message is do what you’ve
been trained to do.”
Norwood’s office recently received a statement from the American
Red Cross Mid-Atlantic Service Area office in Raleigh which said,
“The Red Cross and AHA do not differ much in our stance on
this issue, and both organizations hope to encourage more people
to get involved in an emergency. Based on scientific evidence,
the American Red Cross supports compression-only CPR (continuous
chest compressions) as an acceptable alternative when: A responder
is unwilling, unable, untrained or unsure how to perform full
CPR (cycles of chest compressions and rescue breaths).
“Both Red Cross and AHA hope that compression-only CPR will
save lives by encouraging untrained bystanders who witness the
sudden collapse of an adult to get involved and have someone call
911, or the local emergency number, and then start performing
chest compressions until help arrives or the adult shows obvious
signs of life (breathing and movement).”
Those who take CPR training for certification to meet state and
federal requirements or lay responders in workplaces who have
a duty to respond and those caring for infants and children will
still need to take training which includes full CPR (cycles of
chest compressions and rescue breaths). Compression-only CPR does
not affect professional rescuer CPR/AED training programs or protocols.
In the summer of 2007, the Red Cross introduced “First Aid
and CPR for Everyone,” an at-home kit for practicing compression-only
CPR. The kit contains information on proper hand placement on
the chest and a compression practice tool to help measure just
the right amount of pressure needed to properly administer chest
compressions.
Norwood agrees that eliminating the mouth-to-mouth contact during
CPR is good news to some people who worry about the possibility
of contacting infections. However, she wants to remind people
that the use of breathing barriers is a preferred method, even
by “the old standards,” and protect against the spread
of infections.
She demonstrated the easily used and convenient key-ring barrier
to the more advanced tools, such as the pocket mask, which she
refers to as “the cadillac, the best that offers the maximum
protections. “It’s a little harder to use and takes
a little practice to maintain a seal, but it’s the best,”
she said.
For a rescuer trained in CPR who is “confident in his or
her ability to provide rescue breaths with minimal interruptions
in chest compressions,” conventional CPR, with a ratio of
30 chest compressions to two ventilations, is recommended.
Regardless of technique, CPR should continue until the arrival
and setup of an automated external defibrillator or arrival of
emergency medical service personnel.
Norwood said that the funds from the annual Heart Breakfast in
Watauga County have purchased an automatic external defibrillator
to be placed in the sports complex at Watauga High School. The
electronic devices shock the heart to restore normal contraction
rhythms and will hopefully prove helpful and easy to use if needed.
Norwood said that her training sessions will continue to include
conventional CPR and invites anyone with questions to contact
her office for more information at (828) 264-8226.
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