For about four decades, paramedics and other medical professionals have insisted on a specific set of procedure when it comes to saving a life, especially when it involves unconscious victims. The rigidity of this process has led many bystanders to hesitate administering CPR for fear that, since they are not familiar with how it should be done, they would do more harm than good.
Now, fast forward to today.
With the release of the new guidelines last 2010 when it comes to how CPR is performed, more and more people are finding confidence when it comes to jumping in at an emergency situation. This is because the guidelines makes for a simpler way of being able to save somebody’s life. For one, there is no more need to check the airway and administer artificial resuscitation before doing chest compression.
For trained first aiders, the 2010 guidelines released by the American Heart Association now dictate that they need to do chest compressions first before checking the airway and administering artificial . This is different from the traditional practice of A-B-C. People who do not have any training in CPR are also encouraged to administer continuous chest compressions, also known as COCPR or Compression-Only CPR, until the patient regains consciousness or until the paramedics arrive. Bystanders are further advised that each of the chest compression should at least be 2 inches deep and should number to about a hundred in a minute. In most cases, medical professionals recommend making use of “Stayin’ Alive” in order to time the compression.
With the introduction of the COCPR, medical professionals have noticed an increase in the survival rate among adults who had suffered from cardiac arrest or infarction while outside of a hospital or a medical facility.
So what brought about the change in how situations involving unconscious victims are handled? Recent studies have shown that with each minute that passes that no CPR is administered, the chances of the person’s survival falls by about 10 to 15%. This is because, with each minute that passes that no blood is circulating around the body, the tissues and cells are deprived of the needed oxygen. What happens next is the death of the tissue and cells which, of course, leads to organ failure and death. With COCPR, artificial blood circulation is set to play allowing the tissues and cells to get the much needed oxygen and nutrients that could help prevent tissue necrosis. That being said, the timely administration of the CPR allows not only higher chances of survival but it also increases by two to three folds the possibility that the patient would not have to worry about suffering from any neurological problem.
Of course, one has to remember that CPR, including COCPR, is just one of the many ways a person would be able to pull through from a cardiac arrest. Those who are afraid to administer CPR can also make use of an AED device, a portable electronic gadget that can be used in order to normalize the beating pattern of the heart.
Do not get caught unprepared. Undergo Citywide CPR’s CPR certification and training program to make sure that you know what to do during emergency situations.
