New “Hands Only” CPR: It Works!
In an October 2010 article, the Harvard Health Letter outlined the steps in the simplified version of CPR. Known as “Hands Only CPR,” this is a new method of performing lifesaving CPR that involves using only chest compressions, as opposed to the traditional compressions-plus-breaths method.
Step 1: Call 911. This should be easier than ever since most people now carry a mobile phone.
Step 2: Start pushing hard and fast on the person’s breastbone (100 times per min), and keep it up until emergency medical technicians arrive.
Step 3: If an automated external defibrillator (AED) is available, use it.
The letter cautions that, while this method works, it should not be reported that it saves “more” lives than the traditional method. Recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine report that people who received the chest-only compressions were just as likely to survive as those given traditional CPR.