Question

write a one to two page paper on the science behind cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

how long ago was it used?

How do the guidelines get determined and how often are they reviewed?

What are the survival rates? And what do survival rates depend on.

Answer 1

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure that combines chest compressions often with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death worldwide. Despite significant advances in resuscitation science since the initial use of external chest compressions in humans nearly 60 years ago, there continues to be wide variability in rates of successful resuscitation across communities. The American Heart Association (AHA) and European Resuscitation Council emphasise the importance of high-quality chest compressions as the foundation of resuscitation care. We review the physiological basis for the association between chest compression quality and clinical outcomes and the scientific basis for the AHA's key metrics for high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Finally, we highlight that implementation of strategies that promote effective chest compressions can improve outcomes in all patients with cardiac arrest.

Here's advice from the American Heart Association:

• Untrained. If you're not trained in CPR, then provide hands-only CPR. That means uninterrupted chest compressions of 100 to 120 a minute until paramedics arrive (described in more detail below). You don't need to try rescue breathing.
• Trained and ready to go. If you're well-trained and confident in your ability, check to see if there is a pulse and breathing. If there is no breathing or a pulse within 10 seconds, begin chest compressions. Start CPR with 30 chest compressions before giving two rescue breaths.
• Trained but rusty. If you've previously received CPR training but you're not confident in your abilities, then just do chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 a minute. (Details described below.)

The above advice applies to adults, children and infants needing CPR, but not newborns (infants up to 4 weeks old).

Our experience revealed a survival rate to hospital discharge after CPR of 32.2%. In a recent 25-year review of in-hospital CPR, overall survival to discharge was 14.6% (N=12961; range, 3%-27%). A 30-year review of in-hospital CPR reported an average survival to discharge of 15.0% (N=19955).

The survival of cardiac arrest patients depends on several factors such as the integration of basic and advanced cardiac life support, in addition to post resuscitation care.