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Hands-Only CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths. It is recommended for use by people who see an adult suddenly collapse in the "out-of-hospital" setting. It consists of two steps:
1. Call 911 (or send someone to do that).
2. Begin providing high-quality chest compressions by pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest with minimal interruptions.
Answer
Hands-Only CPR is recommended for use on adults who suddenly collapse. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends conventional CPR (that is, CPR with a combination of breaths and compressions) for all infants and children, for adult victims who are found already unconscious and not breathing normally, and for any victims of drowning or collapse due to breathing problems.
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CPR is a psychomotor skill. The AHA continues to recommend that you take a CPR course to practice and learn the skills of CPR, including giving high-quality chest compressions. People who have had CPR training are more likely to give high-quality chest compressions and are more confident about their skills than those who have not been trained (or have not trained in the last 5 years). Even a very short CPR training program that you can do at home, like the AHA’s 22-minute CPR AnytimeTM program, provides skills training and practice that can prepare you to perform high-quality chest compressions.
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The AHA still recommends that you learn conventional CPR which includes mouth-to-mouth breathing. Many medical emergencies cause a person to be unresponsive and to stop breathing normally. In those emergencies, CPR that includes mouth-to-mouth breathing may provide more benefit than Hands-Only CPR. Some examples include:
Answer:
Hands-Only CPR performed by a bystander is as effective as conventional CPR (CPR that includes breaths) in the first few minutes of an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. Provision of conventional CPR may be better than Hands-Only CPR for certain victims, though, such as infants and children, adults who are found in cardiac arrest, or victims of drowning or collapse due to breathing problems. Any attempt at CPR is better than no attempt.
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Yes. In a national survey, Americans who have not been trained in CPR within the last 5 years stated that they would be more likely to perform Hands-Only CPR than conventional CPR for an adult who collapses suddenly. In addition, Hands-Only CPR offers an easy-to-remember and effective option to those bystanders who have been previously trained in CPR but are afraid to help because they are not confident that they can remember and perform the steps of conventional CPR.
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The term "Hands-Only CPR" was developed through extensive consultation with communications and resuscitation experts, and the use of focus groups and nationally based surveys. The objective of this initiative was to develop a message that describes an effective technique that the public will remember and perform to help an adult who suddenly collapses. The overarching objective, of course, is to save more lives by encouraging more bystanders to take immediate and appropriate action when they witness an adult suddenly collapse.
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No, the current AHA recommendation for healthcare providers has not changed. More research is needed to determine if the existing sequence for professional rescuers can be made more effective.
Answer:
Call 911 and start CPR.
If you ARE CONFIDENT in your ability to provide CPR that includes breaths with high-quality chest compressions with minimal interruptions, then provide either the conventional CPR that you learned (CPR with a 30:2 compression to ventilation ratio) OR Hands-Only CPR. Continue CPR until an AED arrives and is ready for use or EMS providers take over care of the victim.
If you ARE NOT CONFIDENT in your ability to provide CPR that includes breaths with high-quality chest compressions with minimal interruptions, then provide Hands-Only CPR. Continue Hands-Only CPR until an AED arrives and is ready for use or EMS providers take over care of the victim.
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At this point, there is not sufficient data to provide a specific recommendation. Trained rescuers will take over when they arrive at the victim’s side. Those rescuers will follow the local protocol, which most often involves providing conventional CPR (in other words, CPR with breathing) and the use of specialized equipment. In the meantime, you should give the victim high-quality chest compressions with minimal interruptions. If you are confident in your ability to give breaths with minimal interruptions in chest compressions, then give either Hands-Only CPR or conventional CPR.
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These responders may use Hands-Only CPR or conventional CPR if they witness an adult suddenly collapse. The AHA recommends that these responders:
Call 911 and start CPR.
If they ARE CONFIDENT in their ability to provide CPR that includes breaths with high-quality chest compressions with minimal interruptions, then provide either the conventional CPR that you learned (CPR with a 30:2 compression to ventilation ratio) OR Hands-Only CPR. Continue CPR until an AED arrives and is ready for use or EMS providers take over care of the victim.
If they ARE NOT CONFIDENT in their ability to provide CPR that includes breaths with high-quality chest compressions with minimal interruptions, then provide Hands-Only CPR. Continue Hands-Only CPR until an AED arrives and is ready for use or EMS providers take over care of the victim.
The American Heart Association recommends conventional CPR (that is, CPR with a combination of breaths and compressions) for all infants and children, for adult victims who are found already unconscious and not breathing normally, and for any victims of drowning or collapse due to breathing problems.
Answer
Call 911 and start CPR. If you learned conventional CPR (with mouth-to-mouth breathing), then call 911 and provide CPR as you learned it. If you only know Hands-Only CPR, call 911 and give Hands-Only CPR until an AED arrives and is ready for use or EMS providers take over care of the victim.
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Follow the directions provided by the AED and minimize any interruptions to chest compressions. Remember, all victims of cardiac arrest should receive high-quality chest compressions. You should push hard and fast in the center of the chest with minimal interruption.
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Continue to provide hard and fast chest compressions with minimal interruption to the best of your ability. We realize that giving good quality chest compressions at 100 times per minute is hard work. Most people will get tired after only a few minutes of delivering any type of CPR. If someone else is nearby, ask that person to take over chest compressions after about 2 minutes or about 200 compressions. If you are alone, then just do your best.
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Adults who suddenly collapse and are not responsive are likely to have sudden cardiac arrest and their chance of survival is nearly zero unless someone takes action immediately. You should call 911 and start giving hard and fast chest compressions in the center of the chest, with minimal interruptions. If sudden cardiac arrest is the cause of the collapse, Hands-Only CPR is an easy, effective way for any bystander to more than double the victim’s chance of survival. If an adult has collapsed for reasons other than sudden cardiac arrest, Hands-Only CPR could still help by causing the person to respond (begin to move, breathe normally, or speak). If that occurs, Hands-Only CPR can be stopped. Otherwise, chest compressions should continue until EMS providers arrive.
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Yes. A 2004 review of scientific literature showed that conventional CPR can cause fractures of ribs and/or the breastbone (sternum) in at least 1/3 of cases. In a related study of people who had received such injuries from CPR, the fractures did not cause any serious internal bleeding and, thus, mortality. On the other hand, the chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is near zero for a victim who does not immediately receive high-quality chest compressions with minimal interruptions, followed by additional therapy within minutes (a defibrillating shock and/or more advanced care from EMS personnel).
Answer
On average, any attempt to provide CPR to a victim is better than no attempt to provide help.
