By Peter Laird, MD
Hands-Only CPR is the latest update on the life saving procedure used for over four decades called cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation of CPR for short. Out of hospital CPR performed by non-medical personnel is often hampered by responders who don't want to give mouth to mouth resucitation when performing CPR. The good news not only for repsonders but victims of sudden cardiac death is that the mouth to mouth part of CPR is no longer required or recommended with the new Hands-Only CPR method:
A newly published article in the Lancet shows a remarkable 53% increased survival with an alternative method for professional responders using two hand held devices.
New CPR Technique for our-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest Increases Survival by 53%
The new technique uses two devices simultaneously to increase circulation. One is a handheld device that attaches with a small suction cup to the patient's chest. After each compression, the suction cup allows the chest to be lifted up, stimulating blood flow. The second device, called an impedance threshold device, attaches to the patient's airway using a facial mask or breathing tube. When the chest lifts upward, the impedance threshold device prevents air from rushing into the lungs. That creates a vacuum inside the chest and helps refill the heart after each compression. Researchers found in each compression-decompression cycle, the heart and brain receive nearly three times more blood flow when compared with standard CPR.
For initial bystander response, the Hands-only CPR is a lifesaving bridge waiting for the EMT's/Paramedics to respond. It will be interesting to see if the devices noted in the Lancet article translate into real life practices that confirm the degree of response found in this article. Improving intial response outcomes gives the doctors in the Emergency Room much more to work with than the usual dead on arrival cardiac arrest victims. Applying the combination of Hands-Only CPR with these simple devices will give many victims of sudden cardiac arrest the chance to recover completely as I have seen in only a handful of patients from my own practice.
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