Recently the American Heart Association revised the guidelines for CPR. One of the big changes is Hands-Only CPR, which takes away people’s fear of doing mouth-to-mouth.

For those trained individuals who carry a CPR mask or barrier device, the traditional CPR with 30 compressions followed by two breaths is still recommended.But let me ask: Where is your CPR mask? Do you have one with you right now?

We do not always have the right equipment with us when we need it, but we do have two hands.

With hands-only CPR, the rescuer rapidly pushes in the center of the non-breathing person’s chest. These compressions should be at least 2 inches deep on an adult and at least 100 times per minute. 

It is important to note that this applies to adults given CPR by the lay public. When possible, children should still receive the traditional 30:2 CPR with rescue breathing. The same applies to people who were choking, drowning or had trouble breathing before becoming unconscious.

From 2005-09, Arizona studied 4,415 adults who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and were not treated by a medical professional. Of those, about 15 percent received conventional CPR (with rescue breathing) and about 19 percent received compression-only CPR.

About 13.3 percent of those who received compression-only CPR survived and were discharged from the hospital compared to only 7.8 percent of those who received conventional CPR, a 60 percent difference. 

Adults who suddenly collapse and are not responsive are likely to be experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. This person’s chance of survival is almost zero unless someone helps.

First, call 911 or radio for help, then start pushing hard, fast and deep in the center of the victim’s chest between the nipples. Try not to miss a beat, after a minute or 2 you should switch with someone else and continue alternating until emergency personnel take over, the AED arrives and instructs you to stop, or the patient begins to breath on his own. 

A 2004 review of scientific literature showed that CPR compressions can cause fractures of ribs and/or the breastbone (sternum) about 30 percent of the time. It was also noted that these fractures did not cause any serious internal bleeding or serious damage.

This is especially important when you consider the chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is almost zero for a victim who does not immediately receive high quality chest compressions, fast defibrillation (AED) and advanced care from EMS personnel.

Although the new CPR is designed to encourage untrained bystanders to jump in and do their best, yacht captains, crew and people who earn their living working in and around the water should take a recertification class at least once every two years.

They should also conduct regular preparedness drills to ensure that all crew are ready to act in the event of a medical emergency.

About the Author

Keith Murray

Columnist

Keith Murray, a former Florida firefighter EMT, is the owner of The CPR School, a CPR, AED and first-aid training company that provides onboard training for yacht captains and crew. Contact him at +1-561-762-0500 or keith@theCPRschool.com.