Haven’t been trained in CPR? Do it anyway, doctors say
by Cynthia Ross Cravit
Bystanders should at least try to perform CPR on someone
who's suffering cardiac arrest since the alternative for the victim is likely
death, emergency physicians say.
In an ideal world, we would all be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) — especially when you consider that people who suffer cardiac arrest are
3-4 times more likely to survive if they receive prompt CPR.
Yet this life-saving intervention happens in about one-quarter of the cases,
according to a recent statement by the Canadian Association of Emergency
Physicians (CAEP).
Not trained — or uncomfortable with mouth-to-mouth ventilation? Bystanders
should still respond to cardiac arrest by providing hard and fast chest
compressions to the center of the victim’s chest. This will get the blood
flowing and provide oxygen for the heart and brain, physicians say.
What many people don’t realize is that CPR doesn’t have to be done perfectly
to help. In 2010, the American Heart Association changed its guidelines for
those untrained in CPR and said that to save someone’s life, you no longer need
to know how to perform mouth-to-mouth but that “;hands-only’ chest compression
was enough to save a life.
Trained rescuers should continue to provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
after chest compressions, especially with children, infants and newborns, CAEP
says.
More than 20,000 people suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Canada each
year, with 85 per cent of cases occurring at home. Currently, less than 10 per
cent of these people survive.
“Emergency department doctors too often see the missed opportunities to save
someone’s life had CPR been administered promptly,” says Dr. Christian
Vaillancourt, a Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
Other recommendations from CAEP include:
-
Making CPR education in high schools compulsory.
-
Providing more training to older Canadians since they could be more likely to
witness a cardiac arrest.
-
Giving tax exemptions for companies providing certified CPR training courses
to employees and to individuals who take similar certified CPR education
The Heart and Stroke Foundation estimates that about 60 per cent of
Canadians have been trained at least once at CPR. Unfortunately, doctors say
that these CPR skills are not often practiced and kept up to date — which can
lead to hesitation when faced with a cardiac arrest.
Should bystanders be worried about possible legal ramifications? There is a
provincial law that protects Good Samaritans so those who do help out can’t be
held legally liable if the CPR they administer doesn’t work, according to a CTV
report.
Source: Oct 14, 2011,
CARP Newsletter , CAEP news release; CTV; The National Post