Tom Murphy
Newswire21.org

Only about 6 percent of those who suffer sudden cardiac arrest outside a hospital live to talk about it. 

Now, research shows that rate could more than double if bystanders started pressing on their chests while waiting for help.

The study also found that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation made little difference to whether the patient survives or suffers any brain damage, as long as the chest compression is performed.

The research, reported by Dr. Thomas Rea and colleagues in the Seattle area, was reported by the New England Journal of Medicine. It was based on a review of patients over 18 for whom emergency dispatchers instructed bystanders on how to give aid.

"Of the 1,941 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 981 were randomly assigned to receive chest compression alone and 960 to receive chest compression plus rescue breathing," Rea reported. "We observed no significant difference between the two groups in the proportion of patients who survived to hospital discharge..."

About 12.5 percent who received chest compression along survived while slightly less, 11 percent, survived after receiving both chest compression and "rescue breathing," the study said.

"The results support a strategy for CPR performed by laypersons that emphasizes chest compression and minimizes the role of rescue breathing," the study said.

450 Victims Daily
The findings are significant because health officials have been trying to find ways to get bystanders to act quickly when they see someone collapse from a possible sudden cardiac arrest. About 166,200 Americans die from it every year, about 450 a day.

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical signals in the hear become irregular. They are different from heart attacks, although heart attacks can trigger sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone, including the physically fit.

Immediate treatment is critical to survival rates. For every minute that treatment is delayed, the chance of survival drops 10 percent, according to teh American Heart Association. While 89 percent of Americans say they'd be willing to help in an emergency, only about 21 percent say they'd be able to give CPR and only 15 percent said they'd be willing to use a defibrillator, if one was available.

For the untrained, the heart association advises bystanders to call 9-1-1 immediately, then to push hard and fast on the patient's chest - about 100 beats per minute - until help arrives. That's about the tempo of the disco anthem "Stayin' Alive."