NEW AHA CPR PROTOCOL

Specialties Emergency

Published

I for one have many questions about the new CPR protocol that was put in place by AHA. Now in layperson CPR you do not have to check for a pulse. This can possibly harm a patient with a pulse. As well, if the patient is in respiratory arrest, yet has a pulse it delays breaths. This guidline would be fine for lay rescuers who have not taken a heartsaver course, but I think it is worth the extra minute in the course to teach how to check for a pulse at the carotid.

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I must say I was surprised to read it...but you're right. Apparently, the new protocols coming out instruct laypersons to do the shake and shout business but dont check a pulse. It was found they were wrong in determining pulse/pulselessness (approx) 30% of the time. Of course, medically trained individuals are still instructed to do a pulse check

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Woah! Back up just a minute. smile.gif

I'm guessing most of you guys will be taking a BLS-Health Care Provider level of CPR. For this course, Health Care Providers WILL STILL BE URGED AND REQUIRED to check for a carotid pulse! We're suppose to know a *tad* bit more than the layperson, right? wink.gif Maybe just use a sethescope next time!

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As an Instructor Trainer forBLS, I was shocked as well by changes to HS programs. At the update, the presentation, Making Sense of the Scoience reviewed all of the studies done that proved individuals at the HS level were unable to:

1. Assess pulse both when present and when not. They withheld CPR more often and felt they had a pulse. Assessing for "signs of circulation" is only for HS not HCP courses.

Painful transition year for all

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