Performing resuscitation on the spot on someone who has had a cardiac arrest can be crucial for life or death. And,with many bystanders feeling unable to respond, knowing how to use the simple skills may make all the differenceLocking lips with a stranger at death’s door may not be on your to-carry out list. But unique research in the Journal of the American Medicinal Assocation (Jama) shows that anyone who has a cardiac arrest has a better chance of survival whether a bystander immediately tries to resuscitate them. The beneficial news is that the mouth-to-mouth bit of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is no longer essential you can save a life by performing chest compressions that push blood round the body again.
Inconveniently, and most peoples hearts don’t wait to accept into hospital before they arrest. While bystanders wait for someone to shout,“Let me through Im a doctor!”, the person’s chances of survival fall by 10% a minute. The British Heart Foundation says that only one in 10 people who have a cardiac arrest external hospital will survive. Those who carry out make it risk brain injury through oxygen deprivation.
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Source: theguardian.com