Updated CPR Guidelines: Why the Holidays Are the Perfect Time to Learn New Life-Saving Skills

(KNSI) – Before enjoying a holiday gathering this season, heart health advocates say it’s a good idea to brush up on recently updated CPR guidelines.

They say learning the new methods and educating friends and family has the potential to save a loved one’s life. For the first time in five years, the American Heart Association announced the first major set of changes to CPR and emergency care guidelines.

For cardiac arrests, the association’s “chain of survival” has been simplified to provide a unified action plan for all ages and settings. It involves spotting someone in distress, initiating CPR, and calling 911. Minnesota’s Alicia Bravo is a cardiac arrest survivor and CPR trainer. She says now is the perfect time to reconnect with these skills.

“I think these conversations to be had, especially at holiday events, are very vital. I encourage people at a holiday event to even log onto the American Heart Association [website] and watch a video about how to do CPR.”

Currently, only about 41% of adults who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital receive CPR before emergency crews arrive. The Heart Association says that’s why it keeps pushing for more community-wide preparedness. The new guidelines say children twelve and older can learn CPR and how to use a defibrillator effectively. Bravo says getting this age group more involved is a great idea.

“I do a lot of training with young athletes, and they are actually the most engaged age group, are these young kids wanting to learn how to do CPR and learning how to do the AED, getting them to recognize where AEDs are in public spaces – I think that’s all very important.”

A big change centers around what to do when someone is choking. For conscious children and adults, the AHA now recommends alternating five back blows and five abdominal thrusts. For infants, it’s five back blows and five chest thrusts. Bravo, also an American Heart Association volunteer and registered nurse, says according to new science, these approaches are more effective for clearing an airway obstruction.

The changes also weave in new response recommendations for an opioid overdose. For the first time, they offer public access instruction on when to use naloxone, a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids.

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