Training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) could save someone’s life. New research shows that bystander CPR can significantly improve a person’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest.
CPR is an important stopgap intervention in cardiac arrest, which is when a person’s heart stops. But the scientists behind the new study wanted to better estimate how the amount of time a bystander provides CPR before qualified medical help arrives can affect a person’s prognosis compared to no CPR at all. They found that bystanders can save people’s lives and protect their brain health with CPR even ten minutes after cardiac arrest. The results highlight the importance of encouraging everyday people to perform CPR despite the known risks, the researchers said.
Researchers analyzed data from the National Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival, or CARES, looking specifically at nearly 200,000 documented cardiac arrests that occurred outside the hospital between 2013 and 2022. no one is watching CPR at all. But they also experienced diminishing returns as it took longer for CPR to start.
Someone given CPR within the first two minutes of being arrested was 81% more likely to survive and 95% more likely to have less severe brain damage compared to CPR, for example. Even CPR given ten minutes later was meaningless, though—these victims were still 19% more likely to survive and 22% more likely to avoid brain damage than those who were not given CPR at all. The researchers’ findings will be presented this week at the American Health Association’s annual Resuscitation Science Symposium.
“Our findings reinforce that every second counts when starting CPR and that even a few minutes’ delay can make a big difference,” said lead researcher Evan O’Keefe, a cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute and the University of Missouri-Kansas. City, in a statement from the American Heart Association.
CPR is not a risk-free intervention. Even if done correctly, chest compressions used in CPR can cause serious complications such as broken ribs or damaged internal organs. These risks are increased in people who are elderly and/or have other chronic diseases, and these groups are also less likely to survive cardiac arrest without major health complications even when they receive CPR in a hospital. That suggests CPR may not always be recommended for people who are already in poor health.
That said, studies have found that even the elderly have a greater chance of surviving longer when they are given bystander CPR. And organizations like the American Heart Association continue to support bystander CPR, saying its benefits outweigh the risks. More than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are estimated to occur in the US each year, with approximately 9% of victims surviving. According to the AHA, CPR performed immediately can double or triple a person’s chances of survival. However, at present, bystander CPR is only provided in approximately 35% to 40% of these cases worldwide.
Given their findings, the authors say CPR training should be made more widely available in the community, while bystanders should be more encouraged to perform CPR and other first aid in emergencies.
“It suggests that we need to focus on teaching more people how to perform CPR, and we need to emphasize ways to get help for those who are suffering from immediate cardiac arrest,” O’Keefe said. “This could include widespread CPR training programs, as well as better public access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and improved dispatch systems.”
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