History of CPR

From American Heart Association. 2011

Highlights of the History of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
 
1740   The Paris Academy of Sciences officially recommended mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for drowning victims. 
1767   The Society for the Recovery of Drowned Persons became the first organized effort to deal with sudden and unexpected death. 
1891   Dr. Friedrich Maass performed the first equivocally documented chest compression in humans. 
1903   Dr. George Crile reported the first successful use of external chest compressions in human resuscitation. 
1904   The first American case of closed-chest cardiac massage was performed by Dr. George Crile. 
1954   James Elam was the first to prove that expired air was sufficient to maintain adequate oxygenation. 
1956   Peter Safar and James Elam invented mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 
1957   The United States military adopted the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation method  to revive unresponsive victims. 
1960   Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was developed. The American Heart Association started a program to acquaint physicians with close-chest cardiac resuscitation and became the forerunner of CPR training for the general public. 
1963   Cardiologist Leonard Scherlis started the American Heart Association's CPR Committee, and the same year, the American Heart Association formally endorsed CPR. 
1966   The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences convened an ad hoc conference on cardiopulmonary resuscitation.  The conference was the direct result of requests from the American National Red Cross and other agencies to establish standardized training and performance standards for CPR. 
1972   Leonard Cobb held the world's first mass citizen training in CPR in Seattle, Washington called Medic 2.  He helped train over 100,000 people the first two years of the programs. 
1981   A program to provide telephone instructions in CPR began in King County, Washington.  The program used emergency dispatchers to give instant directions while the fire department and EMT personnel were en route to the scene.  Dispatcher-assisted CPR  is now standard care for dispatcher centers throughout the United States.

CPR & Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)

Fact Sheet

As of April 26, 2010

Sudden Cardiac Arrest

• EMS treats about 300,000 victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year in the U.S.

• Less than eight percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive.

• Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time. Many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors.

• Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked. A heart attack may cause cardiac arrest.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

• Less than one-third of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR.

• Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.

• The American Heart Association trains more than 12 million people in CPR annually, including healthcare professionals and the general public.

• The most effective rate for chest compressions is greater than 100 compressions per minute – the same rhythm as the beat of the BeeGee’s song, “Stayin’ Alive.”

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)

• Unless CPR and defibrillation are provided within minutes of collapse, few attempts at resuscitation are successful.

• Even if CPR is performed, defibrillation with an AED is required to stop the abnormal rhythm and restore a normal heart rhythm.

• New technology has made AEDs simple and user-friendly. Clear audio and visual cues tell users what to do when using an AED and coach people through CPR. A shock is delivered only if the victim needs it.

• AEDs are now widely available in public places such as schools, airports and workplaces.

Teens/Youth

• About 5,900 children 18 years old and under suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year from all causes – including trauma, cardiovascular causes and sudden infant death syndrome.

• The incidence of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in high school athletes ranges from .28 to 1 death per 100,000 high school athletes annually in the U.S.

• The American Heart Association does not have a minimum age requirement for people to learn CPR. The ability to perform CPR is based more on body strength rather than age.

• Studies have shown that children as young as 9 years old can learn and retain CPR skills.