Up to date CPR?

Question

What are the most up to date procedures for CPR of an adult. Its a thing for school, however, the only way i know is not the true way anymore. It has changed several times. So whats the most up to date? Please be serious and give me an idea on how you know, its kinda important. Maybe if your a paramedic or something.

Answer 1

When I had to go through the training last summer, it was 30 quick compressions to 5 breaths.

Answer 2

There is a difference between what medical personal do such as nurses and paramedics, and what laymen/ bystanders do. I'm assuming you're a bystander, so I'll explain the standards for that:

For Adults and Children: (updated in 2005, though not put into practice until 2007)

First, check to make sure the person is unresponsive, and go call 911 or get someone to call 911 (or whatever your emergency number is.)

1. Open the airway and look, listen and feel for 5 to 10 seconds for any signs of breathing.

2. If you do not hear breathing, pinch the person's nose and give two breaths.

3. If both breaths go in, start CPR. (30 Compressions to 2 breaths.

CPR for a Baby (Up to 1 year)

First, check the baby for unresponsiveness. If you have someone with you, get them to go call 911. If you are alone, you will do 5 cycles (2 minutes) of CPR and then go to call 911.

The CPR portion is the same as for a child or adult or baby; 30 compressions to 2 breaths.

The reason for doing the 5 cycles of CPR first before calling 911, is due to the fact that a baby is more likely to have a respiratory emergency (choking of food, vomit, etc) and CPR given right away may correct the problem. In an older person the reason is more likely to be cardiac in nature, and the CPR is only keeping the brain alive with oxygen until a defibrillator arrives.

Where it starts to get complicated is if you are someone working in the medical field. Then, the ratios differ if you are doing one man CPR or Two Man CPR, and there are a few more steps involved like checking for a pulse, and using the defibrillator. But I'll try not to confuse you with all of that.

You could try also looking on the Heart and Stroke Foundation website, or the Red Cross website for more information if you need. They are the the organizations which help set the standards for CPR.

Kudos to the fellow below. :D I have heard of Hands only CPR, however it has been proven that in some situations traditional CPR is better then Hands only. Of course, if the public has a problem with doing the rescue breaths, then something is definitely better then nothing.

Answer 3

I am a CPR teacher, and you got some good answers, but it is best to take a class- really!

Answer 4

I went through American Heart Assoc. in December; at that time it was 30 compressions to 2 breaths, and we don't do the abdominal thrusts on unconscious patients anymore; they want you to do the compressions as if you were giving CPR. Last time I did it, we did both (abdominal thusts cleared the lodged food after the client passed out and was placed on the floor) If you want the details or to go through the class, they are reasonably priced and you can locate one at the American Heart Association website.

Answer 5

the last i read was to omit the breaths entirely, but i don't remember where i read it. . . sorry

Answer 6

Hanabi's answer was excellent, but she may not have heard about the March 2008 update (see below).

The latest official guidelines are still those published by the American Heart Association (AHA) in 2005: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.j...

If you were trained before 2000 (when the previous guidelines were released), the major changes were summarized here: http://www.americanheart.org/downloadabl...

However, in March 2008, something called "Hands Only CPR" was added to the 2005 recommendations.  The main reason for introducing Hands Only CPR is that even people not formally trained in CPR can potentially save a life: http://handsonlycpr.eisenberginc.com/

So now the hierarchy goes like this:

1. If you witness an adult suddenly collapsing in front of you, and you've never taken any training, you are still qualified to deliver "Hands Only CPR".  In fact, when you call 911, the dispatcher will instruct you to do this.

2. If you've been trained in conventional CPR (giving both chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths), and if you feel confident, deliver conventional CPR.  (If you are not confident, deliver Hands-Only CPR instead.)

3. When someone with training in BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) or ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) arrives, let him/her take over, but stay around to help deliver chest compressions if needed.  The current guidelines call for a rotation in the deliverer of chest compressions every 2 minutes, so even paramedics and doctors can use an extra pair of hands!

Hope that helps.