Mouth-to-mouth not needed, oxygen is.

• Position: CPR - Brief article

People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them---as advised by the current American Heart Association guidelines--but they cannot live without access to oxygen sometime during the resuscitation effort, according to research from Ohio State University, Columbus. "Our study shows that there is a need for oxygen. How much remains unknown. There is probably a sweet spot in there somewhereS' indicates Mark Angelos, professor of emergency medicine and an investigator at the Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute.

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Almost 80% of cardiac arrests that take place outside a hospital occur at home and are witnessed by a family member. Yet, only 6.4% of victims survive because most witnesses do not know how to perform CPR. The AHA is in the midst of a new campaign touting...