Chest Compression As Effective As Defibrilators
POSTED: 5:22 pm CDT September 9, 2010UPDATED: 7:04 pm CDT September 9, 2010  Chest Compressions |
Current guidelines strongly recommend immediate defibrillation, a treatment in which an electronic device gives an electric shock to the heart.
But a new study found that chest compressions before defibrillation is as successful as using a defibrillator immediately on the patient. And, in situations with an emergency response time longer than five minutes, chest compressions seemed to actually have a better outcome when used before defibrillation.
Researchers from the University of Michigan Health Systems gathered data from four clinical trials that included more than 1,500 patients. Because the survival rate is so low for people who go into sudden cardiac arrest, researchers said there is an urgent need to figure out the best way to save lives of those whose hearts stop.
The American Heart Association currently suggests that bystanders begin CPR using chest compressions until medical personnel arrive on the scene.
