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Resuscitation of cardiac arrest victims is difficult, and despite increased public awareness of CPR and availability of automated external defibrillators, survival rates remain woefully low. Bystander-initiated CPR has long been encouraged by the AHA and other organizations, yet in study after study, bystander CPR is performed in only one third of witnessed cardiac arrests. Fears about the hazards of mouth-to-mouth ventilation are often among the cited reasons for such low bystander assist rates.
The 2005 AHA guidelines on resuscitation state: “Laypersons should be encouraged to do compression-only CPR if they are unable or unwilling to provide rescue breaths (Class IIa), although the best method of CPR is compressions coordinated with venti…