Top 7 Things You Should Know About the New CPR Guidelines

There is always a new discovery, invention or research in healthcare, as it is an ever-changing field. There is a change in the rule as how to perform CPR according to new guidelines released in 2010. Read the article further to know more.

According to the article published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association 2010, there has been new guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. In the last 40 years, cardiopulmonary resuscitation training had set guidelines which followed the ABC’s of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In the previous guidelines the American Heart Association had recommended looking, listening and feeling for natural breathing before giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Now, according to the American Heart Association the order of sequence has been changed from ABC to CAB that is, compression, airways and breathing.

The previous approach was causing vital delays in starting chest compressions that are important for blood circulation all through the body. In the new guidelines now, compressions should be started immediately on a victim who is not breathing and unresponsive to the surroundings. The new guidelines of starting compressions immediately are applicable for adults, children and infants but nor for newborns.

Top 7 Things you should know About the New CPR Guidelines.

According to the new CPR 2010 guidelines published by the American Heart Association, the focus is on starting chest compressions immediately.

– The first rule is to go the CAB way which means, chest compressions, opening the airways and breathing. This chest compression should be done on adults, children, infants and the only exception is newborn babies without worrying about the airways.

– Now, you don’t have to follow the rule of looking, listening and feeling. The main thing to save a person who suffered cardiac arrest is when you see the person not waking up after being unconscious or breathing normally, call the medical emergency and start the chest compressions immediately.

– The chest compressions should be done firmly and deeply. Earlier, the guidelines suggested that you should push the chest up to 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches but now according to the new guidelines by the American Heart Association, you have to push the chest to at least 2 inches deep on adults and children and 1 1/2 inches on infants.

– According to the new guidelines by the American Heart Association, you have to push the chest at a faster rate. You should push at least 100 compressions per minute; at that rate you must do 30 compressions per 18 seconds.

– The new guideline by American Heart Association tells you to push the chest continuously to get the blood circulation moving again. Do not stop pushing the chest. Push the chest for as long as you can at a faster rate. When it is time to do mouth breathing do it quickly and get back to pushing the chest. Push until the normal breathing is restored or till medical care arrives.

– When you give chest compressions, avoid leaning on the chest of the victim between each compressions to allow the chest to return to normal position. You should avoid excessive ventilation and keep pushing the chest compressions.

The most current 2010 CPR guideline updates is the term C.A.R.E CPR, in which C is for compress, A for airway, R for rescue, and E for external defibrillation. In the new guidelines, chest compressions come first and the rescue breathing is slightly deferred. It is always helpful to learn CPR process as you never know when you might be in a life emergency situation and it can come handy to save the victim.

Author Bio: For more information please visit our Online CPR Courses website.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: CAB,American Heart Association ,cardiopulmonary resuscitation ,CPR Guidelines ,healthcare

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