Would you give a homeless person CPR if they were dieing?
Yes, as the only part of old-style CPR which works is chest compressions, and “breaths” are irrelevant and take time away from the all-important chest compressions. CPR works better if you avoid mouth-to-mouth and concentrate on the chest compressions. There’s enough oxygen in the blood to sustain life for several minutes, but the blood has to be moved around for that to be effective. Breaths don’t add enough oxygen to the bloodstream to make any difference, and they take time away from moving the blood around with chest compressions. EDIT: Added some links to evidence. New studies show that concentrating entirely on the chest compressions saves more lives than switching between breaths and chest compressions. From an article published last month ( http://www.sciencedaily.com/…/090929004212.htm ): Uninterrupted Chest-compressions Key To Survival In Cardiac Arrest Outside Hospita
