Does Mouth-to-Mouth Ventilation Inhibit Performance of Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation?
Despite widespread acknowledgment of its value and efficacy, CPR is not performed by bystanders in the majority of cases for which it is indicated. Furthermore, several recent studies have documented a lower overall frequency of bystander CPR performance compared with earlier investigations.3 Although this latter finding may have several possible explanations (including the failure of the medical community and public health officials to effectively teach the public the skills of CPR), the perceived risk of disease transmission during CPR, even by healthcare workers, has become increasingly suspect as a major factor. The actual risks of disease transmission during mouth-to-mouth ventilation are quite small. There are isolated reports of possible transmission of Helibacter pylori,104 Mycobacterium tuberculosis,105 meningococcus,106 herpes simplex,107 108 109 shigella,110 streptococcus,111 and salmonella.112 No reports on transmission of HIV can be found. Nevertheless, despite the remote
