When chest compressions are interrupted to perform ventilation, the manual flow of blood is temporarily halted. Researchers say it takes about 16 seconds to provide two ventilations. During that time, there is no blood flowing to the tissues. By eliminating the breaths and focusing on the chest compressions, the hands of the rescuer become the “heart,” pumping a continual flow of blood to the tissues and organs.

Rescue workers in the Scottsdale area compared the outcomes of the two types of CPR. They found survival rates were three times higher among those who received hands-only CPR. A recent study in Japan found neurological outcomes to be twice as better among those receiving the hands-only technique compared to traditional CPR.

The American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee now recommends hands-only CPR as a rescue treatment for sudden cardiac arrest. Emergency Physician Bentley Bobrow, M.D., says, traditionally, rates of bystander CPR are very low. He is hopeful the new technique will be more accepted by the public and easier to remember.