CPR without mouth-to-mouth.

Let's be honest: for many reasons the idea of performing CPR on a stranger can be a frightening proposition and those of us who race have a higher than average chance of being there when someone needs CPR due to cardiac arrest. Even if you've taken an American Red Cross course in the familiar chest compression/mouth-to-mouth technique, helping a loved one may be a far cry from helping a stranger. We all hope that if circumstances called upon us to help we would rise to the occasion without fear. But now let's assume CPR were equally effective with chest compression alone. How many more of us would learn the skill and help without hesitation if needed? The answer is probably a lot more.

At the time of a cardiac arrest, the blood is fully oxygenated and it can take quite a while before the oxygen is depleted. The fact that chest compressions are easier to teach, to remember, and to perform, led to research to test the outcome of different approaches. Results of a seven-year study comparing the effects of chest compression only versus standard CPR (including mouth-to-mouth) found that survival results were not significantly different whether mouth-to-mouth was given or not.

Much more research is needed before official recommendations could change or for CPR classes to be taught without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But it could be that so much more of the general public could be trained in the simpler technique that many more victims of cardiac arrest could be helped. Meanwhile, it is still a very good idea to learn basic CPR and first aid skills. You just never know when or where. it could be your know-how that stands between life and death. Contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross for CPR/First Aid classes in your area.

(New England Journal of Medicine, 2000, Vol. 342, No. 21, pp. 1546-1553)