It looks like more changes will be coming in the future. Studies--and the newspapers touting the results--all seem to point to doing even more compressions and fewer ventilations.
Compression most important in CPR, an article from the Houston Chronicle, reports on a presentation at the AHA sessions in Texas this month. A 50:2 compression to ventilation ratio reportedly improved survival significantly. Devices like the ResQPOD as well as hypothermia seem to also be quickly rolling down the pike.
What I find most interesting--and even refreshing--is movement away from blindly and fanatically following CPR guidelines. In years past you would've had all those cool patches ripped from your sleeve if you one-one-thousanded when you were supposed to one-and-two-and. Gasp!
This reminds me of an article I saw this summer from Wisconsin, Simplifying CPR, saving lives. I like these guys. Do compression only CPR to the tune of "Another one bites the dust?" Sign me up.
Is this medical heresy? Anarchy? Revolution? No, its maturity. We finally realized that guidelines are, well, guidelines.
It looks like I will soon get to add another item to the "things I was trained to do that we now know kills people" list: ventilations. It will have some great company. Stabilizing trauma patients at the scene, gallons of IV fluid, bicarb... Ah, the good old days.
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