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Posted on Tue, Nov. 29, 2005



R E L A T E D C O N T E N T

STAR-TELEGRAM/THE ASSOICATED PRESS
CHART: Guidelines urge more compressions





New CPR guidelines increase chest compressions

By JAN JARVIS

STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER


More chest compressions -- double what was previously recommended -- plus two rescue breaths adds up to a better way of performing CPR for emergency workers and lay rescuers.

That's the message from the American Heart Association, which issued new guidelines Monday for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The change is expected to save lives and lead to more people performing CPR.

Instead of doing 15 compressions for every two rescue breaths, the new guidelines call for a ratio of 30 compressions to two rescue breathes. The guidelines also advise the rescuer to "push hard and push fast" when giving the chest compressions as part of CPR.

"When you're pounding away, you're trying to mimic the heart," said Jim Self, medical operations battalion chief for the Arlington Fire Department. "The heart beats continuously; it does not pause, so 30 compressions is more like a normal beating heart. The trick is keeping it pumping no matter what."

About 335,000 people in the United States die each year from sudden cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association, which is based in Dallas. If someone is not given CPR, their chance of survival falls 7-10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation.

The heart association also offers new guidance for medical professionals, recommending cooling down cardiac-arrest patients to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 24 hours. Two significant studies have shown that it can improve survival and brain function for those who are comatose after initial resuscitation.

The guidelines are science-based recommendations and were made based on research and input from 380 international experts, the association said.

"There is a lot of evidence showing that interruptions to the chest compressions have a negative effect on survival," said Dr. Ahamed Idris, professor of surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "Some ventilation is important, but it looks like not as much is necessary as we thought previously."

Studies showed that the previous ratio of 15 compressions to two rescue breaths was not adequate to increase the circulation of oxygenated blood, Self said.

"Fifteen compressions barely started to get the blood pressure back and then you'd have to stop and start over," he said.

The new approach should be easier and more effective for lay people to perform, Idris said.

"In reality, not having to stop often will allow people to get into a better rhythm," he said.

Over the past three to four years, great strides have been made to ensure that paramedics and bystanders can better perform CPR, said Chris Cebollero, clinical service manager for MedStar, which provides ambulance service in Tarrant County.

"When people need CPR there are a lot of things that have to happen, and they have to happen quickly," he said. "These changes, hopefully, will help with that."

ONLINE: http://www.americanheart.org

The Associated Press contributed to this report