Cardiopulmonary resuscitation : the history and evidence behind modern management

Abstract

Resuscitation following cardiac arrest involves a life-saving set of skills which are practised by healthcare workers and trained laypersons throughout the world. Various associations and groups, such as the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the American Heart Association have training programmes on resuscitation techniques using standardized algorithms. There are different protocols for different situations, using various pieces of equipment and with a range of complexity, however the key aspects of modern resuscitation remain the same; these are summarized by the ERC guidelines as the “Chain of Survival” : • Early recognition and call for help • Early Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) • Early defibrillation • Post-resuscitation care

This article focuses on the history and development of the evidence behind some of the key aspects of modern resuscitation: airway maintenance and breathing, circulation and chest compressions, and defibrillatin