Renewing (and supporting) the chest compressions
> debate ...
>
> Heart Association changes CPR guidelines
>
> DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- Updating the way everyday
> people do CPR, new
> recommendations urge many more chest compressions
> for victims of
> cardiac arrest.
>
> The revised guidelines issued Monday by the American
> Heart Association
> on cardiopulmonary resuscitation advise giving 30
> chest compressions
> -- instead of 15 -- for every two rescue breaths.
>
> The guidelines also recommend that emergency
> personnel cool cardiac
> arrest patients for 12 to 24 hours to about 90
> degrees Fahrenheit. Two
> significant studies have shown that such cooling
> results in improved
> survival and brain function for those who are
> comatose after initial
> resuscitation.
>
> More than 300,000 Americans die each year of cardiac
> arrest, when the
> heart suddenly stops beating. The heart association
> estimates that
> more than 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die
> before they get to
> the hospital.
>
> Studies show that the chest compressions create more
> blood flow
> through the heart to the rest of the body, buying
> time until a
> defibrillator can be used or the heart can pump
> blood on its own.
> Studies have also shown that blood circulation
> increases with each
> chest compression and must be built back up after an
> interruption, the
> association says in its online journal Circulation.
>
> "Since the 2000 guidelines, research has
> strengthened our emphasis on
> effective CPR as a critically important step in
> helping save lives,"
> said Dr. Robert Hickey, chair of the American Heart
> Association's
> emergency cardiovascular care programs.
>
> According to the heart association, about 75 percent
> to 80 percent of
> all cardiac arrests outside a hospital happen at
> home, and effective
> CPR can double a victim's chance of survival.
>
> Sudden cardiac arrest can occur after a heart attack
> or as a result of
> electrocution or near-drowning. It's most often
> caused by an abnormal
> heart rhythm. The person experiencing it collapses,
> is unresponsive to
> gentle shaking and stops normal breathing.
> debate ...
>
> Heart Association changes CPR guidelines
>
> DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- Updating the way everyday
> people do CPR, new
> recommendations urge many more chest compressions
> for victims of
> cardiac arrest.
>
> The revised guidelines issued Monday by the American
> Heart Association
> on cardiopulmonary resuscitation advise giving 30
> chest compressions
> -- instead of 15 -- for every two rescue breaths.
>
> The guidelines also recommend that emergency
> personnel cool cardiac
> arrest patients for 12 to 24 hours to about 90
> degrees Fahrenheit. Two
> significant studies have shown that such cooling
> results in improved
> survival and brain function for those who are
> comatose after initial
> resuscitation.
>
> More than 300,000 Americans die each year of cardiac
> arrest, when the
> heart suddenly stops beating. The heart association
> estimates that
> more than 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die
> before they get to
> the hospital.
>
> Studies show that the chest compressions create more
> blood flow
> through the heart to the rest of the body, buying
> time until a
> defibrillator can be used or the heart can pump
> blood on its own.
> Studies have also shown that blood circulation
> increases with each
> chest compression and must be built back up after an
> interruption, the
> association says in its online journal Circulation.
>
> "Since the 2000 guidelines, research has
> strengthened our emphasis on
> effective CPR as a critically important step in
> helping save lives,"
> said Dr. Robert Hickey, chair of the American Heart
> Association's
> emergency cardiovascular care programs.
>
> According to the heart association, about 75 percent
> to 80 percent of
> all cardiac arrests outside a hospital happen at
> home, and effective
> CPR can double a victim's chance of survival.
>
> Sudden cardiac arrest can occur after a heart attack
> or as a result of
> electrocution or near-drowning. It's most often
> caused by an abnormal
> heart rhythm. The person experiencing it collapses,
> is unresponsive to
> gentle shaking and stops normal breathing.
