It's enough to make your heart flutter. Researchers say C-P-R can be learned
in just 20 minutes, instead of the currently required four hours.
Too busy to take a four-hour CPR course? New research shows
the
lifesaving procedure can be effectively taught in a little more than 20
minutes.
The finding, presented Sunday at an American Heart Association meeting
in Dallas, could broadly expand the number of Americans who can perform CPR.
"It's brilliant," said Dr. Lance Becker, director of the Emergency
Resuscitation Center at the University of Chicago. "I think it's going to
make our ability to train people much, much easier."
The study, led by Dr. Ahamed Idris, professor of emergency medicine at
the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, found that just
five minutes of training on defibrillator use and 20 minutes of instruction in
CPR was as effective as the standard four-hour course.
Idris said it makes sense that the shorter course was just as
memorable: "The more you have to remember, the more likely you are to forget,"
he said.
The study used American Airlines employees and compared standard
training to a short course taught by DVD. Participants were tested by performing
cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a computerized mannequin that took data on
chest compression and ventilation. Their performance was also reviewed and
graded by instructors.
The 150 people who took the short course did as well or better than
the 118 who received standard training. More importantly, retention rates of
knowledge remained similar six months later.
People suffering cardiac arrest can die in minutes unless they get
effective CPR and sometimes a shock to the heart from a defibrillator, which
restores a normal heart rhythm.
Defibrillators are becoming more common in schools, airports and other
public places, but the key is having people nearby who are trained to use
them.
Having a short course should help meet the heart association's goal to
double in the next five years the number of Americans trained annually in
cardiopulmonary resuscitation - currently about 8 million. The time
commitment for a four-hour course seemed to be a stumbling block in getting
people trained, officials said.
"It's very difficult for a company to release their employees for four
hours to take a CPR course," Idris said.
The study was funded by Laerdal Medical, maker of the training DVD,
the heart association, and device maker Philips Medical.
