Here's a couple of links:
[
news.uns.purdue.edu]
[
www.emsworld.com]
This is interesting stuff- as a first responder who annually recertifies, they are telling us that these changes are coming. Studies have shown that the compressions are more important than the mouth to mouth breathing; if you move the blood there will be residual oxygen in it for patient benefit.
Of course, the proliferation of AED's has impacted survival rates to an even greater extent. A few years back, right after AEDs became standard EMS equipment, a paramedic friend told me that he had performed CPR 50+ times and only 7 patients survived. At that point he had treated 25 patients with an AED and 14 survived. (AED stands for Automated External Defibrilator). So if you have a heart attack, you better hope that an AED is close by. In the US, rumor is that OSHA is going to require AED's in any building with an occupancy of 100 people. They save lives.
EB
