Importance of giving CPR for Cardiac arrest

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or CPR is used to save people suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. It is the most important first-aid step to undertake, for any person who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, till emergency medical service arrives. The CPR is performed to pump blood and oxygen to the brain.

In cardiac arrest, the heart abruptly stops beating causing loss of consciousness. It can be caused by multiple factors. For example, a drowning person suffers from the lack of oxygen. The blood also undergoes physical changes as well. In salt water, Osmosis makes the blood thicker by pulling water from the bloodstream into the lungs. In fresh water, something different happens, wherein osmosis acts in the opposing direction. As a result, the blood becomes diluted and thinner, red blood cells get destroyed, and electrical activity of the heart gets affected. Both the situations may trigger sudden cardiac arrest in patients, causing the beating of the heart to stop.

There are many misconceptions regarding administering of CPR. It is assumed that a few hard-pressing on the chest and a single round of mouth-to-mouth brings the victim back to life, usually seen coughing. It is important to know that CPR may not bring people back to consciousness. It is done to pump up the blood flow and thereby oxygen to the brain. If the heart is at standstill due to cardiac arrest, then to restart it one needs to administer an electric shock.

"The key take away from these data is that we need to find better and more effective ways to educate the general public on the importance of providing bystander CPR, and the importance of being comfortable delivering it regardless of the factors like the gender, age, or even the weight of the person in need," said Benjamin Abella, senior author of a CPR study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2017.

When a person has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, the key aspect is to hard-press the chest to keep the blood flowing and therefore keep the brain oxygenated. Breaking the rhythm to breathe-in oxygen, will interrupt the flow of blood.

In fact, the American Heart Association has removed mouth-to-mouth breathing as an essential part of CPR in adults. Mouth to mouth breathing is still recommended in the case of children. The bottom line is that hands-only CPR is an essential part of CPR and cannot be compromised with.