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National Standards for CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, otherwise known as CPR, is the potentially life saving technique performed when someone's breathing or heartbeat have stopped. A combination of rescue breathing (mouth to mouth) and chest compressions are standardized at the national level to ensure that trained CPR personnel are able to deliver effective resuscitation to would be victims.

  1. Setting Standards

    • In collaboration with the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation(ILCOR) and the American Heart Association(AHA) initiated the first coordinated effort to standardize cardiopulmonary and cerebral resuscitation worldwide in the year 2000.

      Here in The United States, The American Red Cross, The American Health Association, and National Safety Council now base their training programs on what is recommended from the ILCOR.

    Requirement

    • Most persons working for health care providers must be skilled and certified in CPR. Additionally, lifeguards usually require certification. Most people can be trained under American Heart Association or American Red Cross standards and will earn certification once they have shown they can properly administer and understand CPR standards. Other groups and organizations offer similar training such as nurses basic life support (BLS), first aid, and blood-born pathogens certification.

    Compressions

    • One aspect of CPR are chest compressions which are necessary in helping to pump blood to the body when the heart is not beating. Chest compressions are defined as pressing on the chest in or around the area of the heart with a closed first. The chest should be pressed hard enough for it to recoil and at quick pace. As of 2009, 100 compressions are required per minute for adult persons.

    Breathing

    • For every 30 chest compressions performed, two breaths should be administered lasting 1 second each. If and when there are two CPR rescuers, it is standard practice for the compressions to continue while the second rescuer administers the breaths. This should be performed at a pace of about eight to ten breaths per minute of CPR.

    Calling for help

    • In addition to the basic compression and breathing fundamentals of CPR, other standards exist. For example, if a patient unexpectedly collapses or passes out. In this case, standards say to first call for medical help and only after that call has been made should CPR begin.

    Immediate Support

    • When victims require CPR because of drowning, trauma, injury, or a drug overdose, immediate CPR is required before calling for medical assistance. The standards specifically imply that either 2 minutes or 5 cycles of CPR be performed first before calling for emergency medical assistance. In cases such as these where hypoxic arrest is often likely, immediate CPR is demanded in order to provide life saving care to the victim.

    Other standards

    • Other standards include a 15 compressions for every 2 breaths in small children and infants, using two thumbs instead of a flat fist when administering compressions in infants, and tilting the head and lifting the chin when performing mouth to mouth breathing so as to avoid rescuer fatigue and ensure the victim receives proper ventilation.

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