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We're talking about surviving heart problems this week on Healthwatch. Previously, we reported new recommendations from doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center on how non-trained bystanders should be guided in performing CPR. The new guidelines focus on chest compressions instead of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, except in cases when the heart attack might have been caused by lack of oxygen, such as in drowning or smoke inhalation.
But how can CPR without rescue breathing be effective?
Dr. Lynn Roppolo, a UT Southwestern emergency medicine specialist, says people needing CPR will still have oxygen in their bodies for several minutes. They may also passively inhale during chest compressions. In the early stages of a heart attack, people often take gasping breaths that are more effective at getting oxygen into the body than normal breaths are. That means rescue breathing may not be needed for several minutes.
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May 2005
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