Frequently Asked Questions.
What is CPR?
The letters CPR stand for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The term embraces all the procedures from basic first aid to the most advanced medical interventions that can be used to restore the breathing and circulation in someone whose heart and breathing have stopped.
For lay people and first aiders, CPR refers to the basic first aid procedures that can be used to keep someone alive until the emergency medical services can get to the scene. The most important skills are chest compressions and using an AED.
What is a cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest means that the heart has stopped pumping blood around the body. This may occur for many reasons, but loss of the electrical coordination that controls the normal heartbeat is usually responsible.
The most likely cause is ventricular fibrillation, in which the normal orderly electrical signal that controls the heartbeat becomes completely disorganised and chaotic, and the heart is unable to act as a pump. Ventricular fibrillation can be treated with a defibrillator that delivers a high energy shock to restore the heart’s normal rhythm.
Is a heart attack the same as a cardiac arrest?
No, the terms mean different things. Although ‘heart attack’ is often used to refer to a sudden cardiac arrest, this is incorrect. A heart attack (or myocardial infarction, to use the medical term) occurs when an artery supplying the heart with blood becomes blocked. This usually causes chest pain and leads to damage to some of the muscle of the heart. It may cause cardiac arrest, particularly in the early stages, but this is not inevitable.
The risk of cardiac arrest, however, emphasises the importance of calling for immediate help if anyone is suspected of having a heart attack, so that they can receive treatment to reduce the damage to their heart and reduce the risk of a cardiac arrest occurring.
How effective is CPR?
If bystanders who witness a cardiac arrest perform CPR, sufficient blood containing oxygen will reach the brain, heart and other organs to keep the person alive for several minutes. CPR by itself will not restart the heart, but it ‘buys time’ for the emergency medical services to reach the scene. Effective CPR more than doubles the chance of someone surviving a cardiac arrest.
What is hands only CPR?
On a Community Lifesaver session I’ll show you how to give effective hands only CPR.
Hands only CPR is as effective in the first few minutes as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest at home, at work or in public.
Hands only CPR refers to continuous chest compressions without rescue breaths. Some rescuers aren’t willing or able to deliver rescue breaths, but they can still jump in and help by providing hands only CPR, which will still greatly improve the person’s chance of survival.
Hands only CPR involves pushing hard and fast on the centre of the patient’s chest. The purpose of hands only CPR is to get blood pumping to the patient’s brain, heart and vital organs.
How do I recognise that someone has had a cardiac arrest?
When the heart stops, blood supply to the brain also stops. The individual will collapse unconscious and will be unresponsive. Breathing also stops, although it may take a few minutes to stop completely. For the first few minutes, the individual may take noisy, infrequent or gasping breaths.
The key features of cardiac arrest are therefore someone who is unconscious, unresponsive and NOT BREATHING NORMALLY. Noisy, infrequent or gasping breaths are not normal breathing.
If you have any doubt whether someone is breathing normally or not, assume it is NOT normal, call 999 immediately and start CPR.
What is the chain of survival?
The Chain of Survival describes a sequence of steps that together maximise the chance of survival following cardiac arrest.
The first link in the chain is the immediate recognition of cardiac arrest and calling for help.
The second is the prompt initiation of CPR.
The third is performing defibrillation as soon as possible.
The fourth is optimal post-resuscitation care.
Like any chain, it is only as strong as its weakest link. If one stage is weak, the chances of successful resuscitation are compromised.
How many people survive a cardiac arrest?
In the UK fewer than 10% of all the people in whom a resuscitation attempt is made outside hospital survive.
When all the stages in the Chain of Survival take place promptly, the figures are very much better. This is possible where the arrest is recognised immediately, bystanders perform CPR, and an automated defibrillator is used before the ambulance service arrive. Survival rates in excess of 50% have been reported under these circumstances.
Could someone be sued for doing CPR?
It is very unlikely that someone in the UK who acted in good faith when trying to help another person would be held legally liable for an adverse outcome. No such action has ever been brought against someone who performed CPR and, in general, the courts in the UK look favourably on those who go to the assistance of others.
Is CPR done the same way in adults and children?
The core principles of CPR apply equally to children and adults.
Many children do not receive CPR because potential rescuers are not sure if there are specific methods recommended for children, and are afraid of causing harm. This fear is unfounded; it is far better to use the adult CPR sequence for the resuscitation of a child than to do nothing. When performing chest compressions, compress the child's chest by 1/3 to 1/2 of its depth – don't be afraid to push hard.
Although slightly different techniques are taught to those people (particularly healthcare workers) who have special responsibilities for the care of children, the differences are not crucial, and it is far more important to do something using the techniques you have been taught.
What is an AED?
AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. AED’s can be found in many public locations and they are called public access defibrillators.
A cardiac arrest occurs because the normal electrical rhythm that controls the heart is replaced by a chaotic disorganised electrical rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF).
An AED delivers a high energy electric shock to an individual in cardiac arrest caused by VF to restore the heart’s normal rhythm. AEDs are compact, portable, easy to use and guide the operator through the process with prompts and commands. The AED analyses precisely the individual's heart rhythm and will only deliver a shock if it is required.
Find your nearest AED
On the Community Lifesaver Event I talk a lot about being prepared and one of the most important points is knowing in advance where the nearest AED is. Helpfully, there is a website that you can check to see exactly where the nearest unit is. Just type in your location and it will show you all the AED’s in your area.
Click on the link to take a look: Defibfinder.uk