Chest Compression Without Ventilation for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests

Bystanders initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in less than one third of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests for reasons that include the procedure’s complexity and the bystander’s reluctance to perform mouth-to-mouth ventilation. Cardiac-only resuscitation, consisting of chest compression without ventilatory assistance, may be as effective as full CPR and more acceptable to potential lay rescuers. Investigators in Japan compared 30-day neurologic outcomes among 4068 adults who had out-of-hospital cardiac arrests: 72% did not receive CPR from a bystander, 18% received full CPR from a bystander, and 11% received chest compression alone from a bystander.

Patients who received any type of resuscitation from a bystander had a significantly higher…