Hands-only CPR most effective resuscitation method, study says

CPR may be more effective when it does not include mouth-to-mouth breathing, new research suggests. People who collapse from cardiac arrest and receive chest compressions from bystanders are more likely to survive than those given the traditional mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of American Medical Association. The study is based on more than 4,000 adults who suffered cardiac arrest between 2005 and 2009. Nearly 700 of those patients received conventional CPR from a bystander, while 849 received chest-only compressions; the rest received no CPR. Patients who received hands-only CPR had a 13.3 percent rate of survival, compared to 7.8 percent for those who received mouth-to-mouth CPR. Those who did not get CPR had a 5.2 percent survival rate. "Anyone who can put one hand over the other, lock their elbows and push hard and fast can save a life," said lead author Bentley J. Bobrow, a medical director for the bureau of emergency medical services and trauma system at the Arizona Department of Health Services