CPR Types Equal, but Directions Help

Two forms of CPR are equally likely to save a life, two new studies conclude. And bystanders usually will help when they get firm, clear instructions, they found. One form of CPR uses a cycle of either 15 or 30 firm chest pushes and two quick breaths into the person’s mouth. The newer form is “hands-only.” It skips the breaths and uses 100 pushes per minute. The larger study included 1,900 people who saw someone in cardiac arrest and called 911. Dispatchers told them how to do a form of CPR. Half were randomly chosen to do each type. About 8 out of 10 were willing to try the hands-only form. About 7 out of 10 agreed to do the other form. Previous research has found that no more than one-third of bystanders will try CPR. Survival rates were about 12% for those who got either form of CPR. This is double the average survival for cardiac arrest outside a hospital.