Study backs chest compressions in resuscitation

The study, compiled by doctors from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, looked at the survival rates of people treated by untrained members of the public taking instructions from the emergency services on telephone.

 

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a combination of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breaths, given in a life-threatening emergency like a heart attack.

 

The study, including 3,000 patients, found that chest compressions alone increased chances of survival by more than 22%.

 

“If untrained bystanders avoided mouth-to-mouth breaths during CPR, they were more likely to perform uninterrupted chest compressions,” BBC quoted Dr Peter Nagele from the department of anaesthesiology, critical care and pain therapy at the Medical University of Vienna, as saying.

 

But training in how to give both chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breaths is the best option, said experts.

 

The British Heart Foundation said that being able to do CPR more than doubles the chances of survival. Claire O'Neill, community resuscitation programme lead at the foundation, said: "For someone who is untrained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, doing both chest compressions and rescue breaths [together] really can be difficult.

 

"We also know that uninterrupted chest compressions are very important for increasing the chance of survival. So being directed to focus solely on chest compressions could make people more willing to attempt resuscitation, which could ultimately save lives."

 

The study was published online in the journal, The Lancet.