According to new research, bystanders are generally “willing to attempt CPR if an emergency dispatcher gives them firm and direct instructions – especially if they can just press on the chest and skip the mouth-to-mouth.” (M. Stobbe, AP Medical, 7/29). As two new studies “conclude that “hands-only” chest compression is enough to save a life, it is a good skill to acquire.
Although, the American Heart Association “has been promoting hands-only CPR for two years, it's not clear how much it's caught on.” Using the simpler technique can save “hundreds if not thousands” of lives each year.
Consider that an “estimated 310,000 Americans die each year of cardiac arrest outside hospitals or in emergency rooms…and only about 6 percent of those who are stricken outside a hospital survive,” hands only CPR could have a substantial impact on these figures. Research and experience suggest that when a person collapses and stops breathing, many people panic and believe dialing 911 is the best and only thing they can do to help. Phoning 911 is absolutely critical, but so is attempting hands only CPR. The recent studies suggest dialing 911 and having the dispatcher coach you through administering CPR.
As a personal injury attorney, I too support any measures that can save additional lives.
