Why Is So-Called “Rescue Breathing” Not Recommended for Cardiac Arrest?
In the past, it was recommended that bystanders perform CPR that alternates chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth ventilations. Research has shown that traditional CPR is not the best way to treat cardiac arrest. Unlike respiratory arrest, during which the victim does not get enough air and the heart eventually stops because it no longer receives oxygen, a person who collapses because of sudden cardiac arrest was usually breathing normally just seconds before. In this case, there is no point in delaying the start of chest compression by trying to deliver “rescue breaths” to a person whose blood and lungs are full of oxygen. Studies found that the blood of a cardiac arrest victim contains enough oxygen to sustain him or her for several minutes. More important, mouth-to-mouth breathing takes valuable time away from urgently needed continuous-chest-compressions. Research has shown that lay individuals interrupt each set of chest compressions for an average of 16 seconds while they delive
Related Questions
- What if a person is not in the hospital and does not want resuscitative efforts in the event of a cardiac and/or respiratory arrest?
- Does a Living Will mean the person is not to be resuscitated in the event of a cardiac and / or respiratory arrest?
- Why Is So-Called "Rescue Breathing" Not Recommended for Cardiac Arrest?
