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Hands-Only CPR Saves Lives As Effectively As Mouth-to-Mouth

By Melba Newsome | Posted August 20 2010

For three months, 17 year-old Desiree Rossi of Pawtucket, R. I. spent one hour a day practicing CPR in her gym class. “It was just a grade and I figured that this was something I’d never have an opportunity to use,” she recalls. Still, she learned both the traditional compression and breathing method and Hands-Only™ CPR so well that she could perform both almost in her sleep. Six months after completing the class, the training paid off.

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On November 17, 2009, Desiree arrived at her usual bus stop to find a crowd of 30 to 40 people standing around a man who had passed out and was turning purple. She immediately sprang into action.

“Someone call 911,” she yelled, while laying him flat on the ground to begin CPR. “That bus stop is not the cleanest place in the world and I didn’t want to put my mouth on his,” she recalls.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to give mouth-to-mouth to a stranger to help save his life. Hands-Only™ CPR, a two-step process of calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives, is easier to administer and was developed specifically for such situations. Chest compressions alone are just as effective at saving lives as traditional CPR, according to clinical trial results released on July 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The American Heart Association says that when effective CPR is provided immediately, a victim’s chance of survival increases dramatically. However, less than a third of victims receive CPR from bystanders because people worry that they might do something wrong or make the situation worse.

While Desiree worked furiously to save the man’s life, onlookers yelled at her not to touch him, saying that she would get in trouble. “That didn’t make any sense to me so I kept doing exactly what I was doing–thinking about the steps, counting my compressions to make I was doing it the right way.”

When help arrived several minutes later, the man was transported to a nearby hospital where he passed away 10 days later. Later, his family thanked Desiree for intervening to prolong his life and giving them time to say goodbye.

Despite the sad ending, Desiree knows she did the right thing and would do it all over again. “CPR is a good thing to know because this can happen to anybody, even someone in your own home,” says Desiree. “Learning how to do it only takes a little while.”

CONNECT THE DOTS

Learn more about the ‘Hands Can Do Incredible Things’ campaign from the Ad Council and the American Heart Association (AHA). This YouTube video from the Mayo Clinic demonstrates the Hands-Only CPR technique. The AHA recommends that if an adult suddenly collapses, trained or untrained bystanders should call 911 immediately and provide Hands-Only™ CPR.

  • Dolly Atwater

    I have had Cpr classes and yes it’s scarey to think I may be doing something wrong or without premise from the person, but I would hope if I collaped someone would help me.

  • Mary

    The link that is supposed to go to a YouTube video demonstrating the technique instead leads to an American Heart Association article. What is the link for the video?

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