Hands-only CPR for these times

ON Oct 21, the American Heart Association released its 2020 emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines.

Of the 356,461 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases in the US in 2019, the survival rate was merely 10.4% because of a lack of high-quality CPR and access to an automated external defibrillator (AED). This device administers an electrical shock to normalise and restart heart rhythms and is designed for use by the public. I am certain that local statistics are similar to US ones, so we must promote awareness and training in CPR and make AEDs more generally available.