International Liaison on Resuscitation releases 2015 CPR guidelines
Medicine and medical technology are constantly improving and making advancements in the world of healthcare. As new information is gathered and understood, changes to practices and standards are updated to ensure the highest quality of care is available. This is true for Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (EEC) as well. The latest guidelines for CPR EEC have just come out from the ILCOR for 2015, the newest guidelines since 2010. CPR guidelines and procedures are updated as needed. Every 5 years major updates are released as more studies and scientific evidence is evaluated.
From Bystanders to Professionals
The new guidelines for 2015 deal with everyone from bystanders to hospital staff. The professionals suggest that bystanders understand when to call emergency services and to give their location. Then, they should put their mobile phones on speaker so they can hear dispatcher instructions while checking for breathing and performing chest compressions of 100-120 times per minute. For those who may be trained in on-site or online CPR, they should do a 30:2 ratio of compressions to breaths.
Dispatchers need to be alert to anyone having generalized, brief seizures, which can be an indicator of cardiac arrest. Dispatchers also need to be able to help bystanders by walking them through checking for breathing and the steps of CPR until help arrives. Another recommendation is that mobile dispatch systems be put in place in communities to improve survival rates. These systems notify rescuers of any potential cardiac arrest issues, giving those in cardiac arrest a better chance of getting chest compressions faster.
Inside the Hospital
On average, 200,000 cardiac arrests happen each year in hospitals alone. To address this issue, the new guidelines suggest integrated systems that include quality improvement and a set framework for resuscitation systems from the community level to the healthcare level.
The guidelines also suggest that in addition to 100-120 compressions per minute, that the compressions go to a depth of 2 inches minimum, but avoid going more than 2.4 inches deep. Managing temperatures can also help avoid brain degradation in patients post-cardiac arrest. Temperatures between 32-36o C need to be maintained for a minimum of 24 hours.
Other guidelines encourage healthcare providers to perform checking for breathing and taking the pulse at the same time so they can begin first chest compressions sooner. For infants, guidelines have been changed to getting oxygen to an infant quicker by starting CPR when they are under a radiant warmer, instead of intubating them as was suggested prior to these new guidelines.
As these updated guidelines are implemented, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation will determine whether they are improving the chances for saving more lives. As further research comes in, they will again review the standards and make necessary adjustments, continually improving the guidelines to ensure more lives are saved every year.
To get a full look at the New 2015 CPR guidelines please sign up for one of our online cpr safety training courses today. CPR training saves lives!