British Heart Foundation is promoting ‘no kissing, just hard CPR’
Posted by firstaidinstructor on January 4, 2012
The British Heart Foundation is urging people to forget “mouth-to-mouth” and to concentrate on chest compressions when performing CPR. ”Hands-only CPR” has previously been supported by the Resuscitation Council (UK). But it is now being promoted in a new advertising campaign featuring footballer-turned-actor Vinnie Jones. New polling by the BHF suggests many feel worried about the idea of giving the “kiss of life”.
Watch the video click here and register on our new blog for more detailed updates at www.instructorblogs.co.uk This is nothing new in our training and the course is taught the same and full CPR training must still be trained.
The official position of the BHF is now that anyone who does not have CPR training should ignore the kiss of life in favour of hard and fast compressions in the centre of the chest. A new poll conducted across the UK and involving 2,000 respondents showed nearly half were put off from performing CPR because of a lack of knowledge.
A fifth worried specifically about the thought of the kiss of life or about contracting an infectious disease. Four in 10 people were worried about being sued if they did something wrong, even though the BHF argues no such case has ever succeeded in Britain. ”The kiss of life can often be daunting for untrained bystanders who want to help when someone has collapsed with a cardiac arrest,” said Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse at the BHF.
She said the kiss of life remained the “gold standard” of CPR, but added if a person had not had training the best option would be to just do chest compressions.
Bee Gees hit - The BHF is also suggesting people hum to the Bee Gees hit Stayin’ Alive, to get the tempo of chest compressions right, although others have in recent months questioned whether this is appropriate, suggesting it may lead to compressions which are too shallow. The new BHF advert features Vinnie Jones in his traditional hardman guise, administering chest compressions to a Bee Gees backbeat after being thrown an unconscious body by his henchmen.
Commenting on the new campaign, he said: “There really shouldn’t be any messing about when it comes to CPR. If you’re worried about the kiss of life just forget it and push hard and fast in the centre of the chest.
“Hands-only CPR should give have-a-go heroes the confidence to step in and help when somebody is in cardiac arrest.” Ms Mason said everyone should learn what to do: “Thirty thousand people have a cardiac arrest in the UK every single year and half of those are witnessed, but in most cases no-one acts, no-one knows what to do, people panic. ”If it was us, we would all want our loved ones and ourselves to be saved, wouldn’t we?”
More information http://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/life-saving-skills/hands-only-cpr.aspx and http://blog.protrainings.eu
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Tim Nahm said
I have to admit I was skeptical at first about the “no kissing CPR”. I had always seen CPR certification involve the mouth to mouth. There definitely are some great supporting arguments to the “no kissing”. Especially that of passing along disease. Sometimes you have no idea who you are performing CPR on and they could be passing something dangerous to you. This article has a great perspective.
John Patrick said
I’m no first aid expert personally so it seems a good idea to me to promote a simple version of CPR that people feel confident in alongside the ‘gold standard’ for trained first aiders. I do find it sad though that people are afraid of being sued for trying to save someone’s life – it seems crazy to me that cases like that would even be attempted or accepted in the first place.
Darren Jones said
As a State Registered Paramedic I totally agree with this approach with reference to First Aid training. Having dealt with a great deal of real resuscitations the idea of putting my mouth to someone who is in need of CPR, who is or has vomited and is aspirating that vomit, is not the greatest of pleasures in life, we use airway adjuncts and bag-valve-masks to accomplish this. It is certainly the one part of performing CPR that has prevented a lot of people from carrying out this procedure i.e. the thought of what I’ve just described, and I’m sure by using the approach of chest compressions only then this will undoubtedly encourage more people to have a go.