In cardiac arrest, a victim’s heart can stop beating and they may stop breathing. By utilizing rescue breathing, air immediately can be send into the victim which can keep them alive while waiting on first respondents to arrive.
There have been an updates to research as recent as 2010 which questioned the effectiveness of rescue breathing- particularly in situations where a mere bystander is delivering the CPR. It was found that rescue breathing by the layperson didn’t increase or improve the victim’s chance of survival. The bystanders simply feel uncomfortable putting their mouths on a stranger’s mouth to deliver the rescue breaths. Professionals have been trained to do this with a barrier mask, and naturally most bystanders coming upon an emergency situation do not have such masks on their person as protection. There have also been confidence issues-the bystanders not feeling confident administering CPR, and when they perform it, it was in many cases not done correctly.
The result of these findings have meant that CPR training programs nowadays are increasingly teaching a “hands-only” approach to CPR that is not only easier to perform, but doesn’t require the previously taught technique of rescue breathing. These new training programs for CPR teach that rescuers only have to push hard and fast in the center of the chest delivering compressions, to the tune of a song with the right kind of beat “Staying Alive” until emergency help arrives. This CPR technique is much more easily embraced by students taking CPR certification classes, and can mean the difference between survival and death.
Unknown Periods of Cardiac Arrest- If a victim didn’t fall to the ground in front of you and you discover them already in a state of cardiac arrest with no idea how long they’ve been in this state, they likely need the rescue breathing. The likelihood of blood being more depleted of oxygen increases the survival chances of patient suffering from the cardiac arrest.
Why is Rescue Breathing still taught in CPR Certification?
Knowing the difference between rescue-breathing and hands-on chest compression is an essential part of any CPR training and CPR certification- be sure to understand which technique needs to be part of your upcoming classes.