Help save a life: PCP shares basics of ‘hands-only’ cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an emergency procedure performed when a patient’s heart stops beating, may sound intimidating and intricate, but an expert from the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) shared ways on how this life-saving procedure may be conducted even by the untrained.

PCP in a health forum on Tuesday, Feb. 14, said when a person’s heart stops beating, they are in a state called cardiac arrest. During this, the heart will not be able to pump blood to the rest of the body including the brain and lungs. Without immediate aid, death may befall within minutes.

“A significant number of Filipinos are not aware that one of the symptoms of coronary artery disease is chest pain. Complications that coronary artery disease may cause include heart attack, heart failure, and cardiac arrest,” said PCP fellow Dr. Kristel Chiu in Filipino during the forum on Tuesday.

Cardiac arrests may occur anytime, anywhere, and to anyone, Chiu said, adding that it may even strike people with no history of heart problems. This is one of the reasons why it is vital to learn CPR, especially since most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests take place at home.

'Hands-only CPR'

In order to make it easy to understand and accessible for all, PCP introduced “hands-only CPR.”

Unlike conventional CPR, this does not require mouth-to-mouth breathing. In fact, there are only two steps in order to do this procedure correctly: call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the victim’s chest.

Chiu noted that chest compressions must be done with 100 to 120 pushes per minute. To avoid confusion, one may push hard and fast to the tempo of Bee Gees’ hit song Stayin’ Alive.

“Place the heel of one hand on top of the first and interlock fingers, keeping both arms straight. Push hands hard and fast until help arrives or until the patient becomes responsive,” Chiu said, instructing the public on how chest compressions must be done.

If the person receiving medical aid regains consciousness in the middle of the procedure, PCP recommends placing them in a recovery position — sideways with one hand supporting the head.