Advantages And Disadvantages Of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, is an emergency procedure taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing for someone who is in cardiac arrest (“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation”). Cardiac arrest is the sudden loss of blood flow from the heart’s spontaneous shut down (“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation”). Some people think of the fake dummies used in CPR classes or learning about it at swim lessons. Some people think of Bee Gee’s song “Stayin’ Alive”, but there’s a lot more to CPR than a resuscitation dummy and singing songs. Over the years, CPR has been examined and modified to produce greater results through the understanding of the body, the techniques used during CPR, and the downsides of the whole process. CPR alone is unlikely to restart the heart, but …show more content…
Mouth-to-mouth is the quickest way to spread diseases (“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation”). This can be a downside for the victim or the rescuer. Another downside of CPR, is the effect of the amount of force used in chest compressions. The force of compressions to reach 4-6 cm deep in the chest, which can bruise the interior of the lungs (“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation”). Sometimes they can be fixed with extra oxygen, but can be as severe as needing mechanical ventilation (“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation”). This bruising of the lungs is called a lung contusion, which was very common in the 1960’s (“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation”). Around this time, seatbelts and airbags first appeared to reduce the risk of lung contusions. Compressions can also cause serious rib fractures, sternal fractures, internal bleeding and broken bones (“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation”). The risk of broken ribs is greater for women than men, but the older the age, the greater the risk for broken ribs (“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation”). Broken ribs and lung contusions are downsides to CPR, but these adverse effects are worth the life saving