The new CPR guidelines could save an employee's life

You can skip the mouth-to-mouth breathing and just press on the chest to save a life.

In a major change, the American Heart Association said that hands-only CPR - rapid, deep presses on the victim's chest until help arrives - works just as well as standard CPR for sudden cardiac arrest in most adults.

The new standards are twofold:
1) Call 911
2) Push hard and fast in the center of the chest

The new standard does not apply to children or infants, or to cases where one has not witnessed the collapse. In those cases, traditional hand and mouth CPR is still recommended.

Advantages of the new method may be measured in saved lives

Experts hope that eliminating the need for mouth to mouth contact will encourage bystanders to be more willing to jump in and help if they see someone suddenly collapse. Hands-only CPR is simpler and easier to remember and removes a big barrier for people the health risks of mouth-to-mouth breathing, particularly among strangers.

What to do

Hands-only CPR calls for uninterrupted chest presses at a rate of about 100 a minute. Compressions would continue until firefighters, police officers, or paramedics take over or an automated external defibrillator is used to restore a normal heart rhythm. (Emergency-use defibrillators are now common in many schools, workplaces and shopping malls, and include step by step instructions.)

When should you use the new CPR?

This action should be taken only for adults who unexpectedly collapse within the bystander's sight, stop breathing and are unresponsive. In such a case, it is likely that the person is having cardiac arrest.

Studies found that in such a case, the victim still has ample air in the lungs and blood -- compressions alone keep blood flowing to the brain, heart and other organs.

The new method is not for everyone

For infants and children, mouth-to-mouth breathing should be still be used with the modified compressions used for children. A child who collapses is more likely to have breathing problems, possibly due to accidental poisoning or other non-heart related causes.

The new guidelines also exclude adults who appear to have suffered lack of oxygen from a near-drowning, drug overdose, or carbon monoxide poisoning. In these cases, people need mouth-to-mouth to get air into their lungs and bloodstream.

The path towards hands-only CPR

The CPR guidelines had been inching toward compression-only. The last update, in 2005, put more emphasis on chest pushes by alternating 30 presses with two quick breaths; those "unable or unwilling" to do the breaths could do presses alone.

Now the heart association has given equal standing to hands-only CPR. Those who have been trained in traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation can still opt to use it.

The association took the unusual step of making the changes now - the next update wasn't due until 2010 - because three studies last year showed hands-only was as good as traditional CPR.

Businesses, schools, and other public gathering places can order posters outlining the new standards. CPR classes will also begin to include the compression-only method of CPR.