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First aid practices may be set to change as St John reviews new guidelines from the American Heart Association.
New recommendations published in the association's journal, Circulation, said a "hands-only" approach, using chest compressions alone, was just as effective as using compressions and mouth-to-mouth together on a collapsed patient.
Ohio State University's Michael Sayre, who lead the team that drafted the new recommendations, told Reuters people not trained in CPR should do two things when they encounter an adult who has suddenly collapsed: call emergency services and then push "hard and fast" in the centre of the person's chest.
Dr Sayre said often no one at the scene does anything to help the victim because there is no one trained in CPR and people are scared of making the situation worse.
But, considering the person's condition, he said, "You can't make them any worse."
"The thing that's killing people is inaction.
"We want the general public to know that even if they've never been trained, they can help victims of sudden cardiac arrest," he said.
St John chief executive Jaimes Wood said the organisation was not surprised by the move, and was aware of work that was being done in the area.
Mr Wood said the American Heart Association's position was in line with the changes St John had already made in public first aid training courses.
"For example, we have for some time been saying that if anyone is having trouble doing the mouth to mouth do the chest compressions. Particularly in adults, the 30 compressions are more important than the 2 breaths," Mr Wood said.
For other cases, such as infants and children, and adults found already unconscious and not breathing, the American Heart Association still recommended conventional CPR.
Mr Wood said St John was evaluating the new information, formulating a position and discussing the issue with the New Zealand Resuscitation Council.
- NZPA
