We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
from Part VII - Special issues in resuscitation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 January 2010
The most important factor in survival from sudden cardiac arrest is the presence of a trained rescuer who is equipped to intervene. The most effective tools of the trained rescuer are CPR and defibrillation. CPR has been taught as a formal program to professionals since the late 1960s and to the lay public since the early 1970s. The program has changed markedly in scope and complexity as well as educational format and philosophy since its inception. Resuscitation councils that promote and teach CPR have sprung up around the world. Yet, despite this long history of the availability of CPR programs and their promotion, most victims of cardiac arrest do not receive bystander CPR. Moreover, when CPR is performed, the quality of the CPR is often not ideal. Although the development of the automated external defibrillator (AED), its increasing affordability, widespreadpromotionandavailability tonon-professionalshave all contributed to earlierdefibrillation, thenumberof people who are resuscitated is still limited by the low numbers of people who receive bystander CPR before defibrillation and the often poor quality of CPR when it is provided.
This chapter will address the challenge of teaching CPR effectively in various contexts: to the lay public, to laypersons with a duty to respond (such as police, fire, lifeguards, and airline employees), and to healthcare professionals. It will also discuss advanced educational technologies and present a model for new course development.
Teaching CPR
The lay public
Bystander CPR has consistently been shown to more than double the odds of survival from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
