I
NEW METHOD
ARTIFICIAL
RESPIRATION
ADOPTED BY
RED CROSS
Photo at left shows old, out-
d at e d method of adminis
tering artificial respiration.
Demonstrating Prone Pres
sure Method (old method) are
Brad Harrison and Bill Nor
ris (both in Main Office),
The American National Red Cross, together
with the armed services, several industrial firms,
and other agencies and organizations, has adopted
the back pressure—arm left method of manual
artificial respiration as preferable to the prone
pressure which has been standard in the United
States for many years.
Research Leading to the change in method be
gan prior to World War II, when investigators
first doubted the prone pressure method was of
superior effectiveness. Since that time the Red
Cross has conducted extensive studies in the fields
of respiration and asphyxia. The armed forces al
so have been investigating the problems of respir
ation and asphyxia. Approximately two years ago
the Army Medical Corps had to consider the prob
lem of giving artificial respiration to a large num
ber of people in the event of warfare when poison
or nerve gas might be used.
To obtain scientific evidence on the compara
tive effectiveness of several methods, Army Chem
ical Corps research teams were organized and
study was made of the amount of air exchange in
duced by various methods of artificial respiration,
the ease of learning various methods, and the ease
of teaching various methods.
The results of the research showed that the
prone pressure method was less effective in the
amount of air exchanged. A one-phase method.
it compresses the chest but does not actively ex
pand it. However, in the two-phase methods—
such as the back-pressure arm-lift, the hip-lift, and
the Silvester—the chest is actively expanded and
compressed by the rescuer.
Research also showed that the hip-lift back
pressure method and the hip-roll back-pressure
method are difficult to perform and cannot be
done at all by frail rescuers on heavy victims. The
Silvester method, for which the victim is placed
on his back, was considered unsatisfactory for use
by the general public since it is difficult to keep
the air passages open.
The back-pressure arm-lift method was recom
mended because it does not tire the rescuer un
duly, can be performed by a small person on a
heavy victim, and is relatively easy to teach.
The Red Cross will include the new method in
first aid and life saving courses as soon as pos
sible. Supplements on the new system are being
printed for inclusion in its first aid and water
safety textbooks. The supplement will be avail
able through Red Cross chapters at no charge.
The Red Cross pointed out that because of the
widespread teaching program, the changeover
cannot be accomplished immediately. Millions of
persons already trained in the prone pressure meth
od, which has saved many lives, should continue
to use it until they have received training in the
new method.
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