What Is the Meaning of CPR?
According to the American Heart Association, each year more than 950,000 adult Americans die from cardiovascular disease, making it the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. To compound the problem, before they reach a hospital, at least 250,000 of those die of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). It can affect anyone and does so frequently without warning. CPR can often prevent this outcome.
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Definition
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a term that means to revive or return the heart and lungs to function. CPR is a technique consisting of mouth-to-mouth respiration and chest compressions.
Effects
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CPR allows oxygenated blood to circulate to vital organs, including the heart and the brain. It has the potential to keep a person alive until more advanced procedures such as defibrillation--a specific kind of electric shock to the chest--can be used.
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History
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According to an article abstract by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the first report of external defibrillation dates to 1956. The earliest report of mouth-to-mouth ventilation was made in 1958, and the first reported closed-chest compression was in 1960. These processes contributed to the formation of CPR as we now know it.
Considerations
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About 80 percent of cardiac arrests that happen outside a hospital occur at home. When CPR is started by a bystander, it can double the chance of survival. CPR can be learned in less than an hour. In and of itself, CPR is only about 5 percent effective. But in combination with all the links of the four-part chain known as the chain of survival, it has a role in increasing survival rates for adult cardiac arrest victims to about 40 percent. The American Heart Association offers a self-directed educational kit about CPR and offers guidance to help you locate CPR courses near you.
Role
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CPR is one link. The other three links are early access to emergency medical services, early defibrillation and advanced care. CPR should start immediately after cardiac arrest. It buys time until a responder with an automated external defibrillator can perform defibrillation. The defibrillator is used to correct the inefficient beating of the heart so the heart can achieve a normal rhythm. The effective window of time is short--it is most effective within three to five minutes. Health care providers can then provide advanced care.
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References
- American Heart Association: Making the commitment to save lives
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: National Institutes of Health: History of CPR and the role of the national conference.
- Southwestern College: History of CPR
- Learn CPR: You Can Do It: History of CPR
- Ohio State University Medical Center: CPR, One Word, Three Letters, Immeasurable Significance
- Photo Credit Emergency image by JASON WINTER from Fotolia.com
