Cardiac only resuscitation (COR) – a more acceptable option for untrained persons

Cardiac only resuscitation (COR) – a more acceptable option for untrained persons

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the emergency procedure for restarting circulation when the heart has abruptly stopped functioning. This ensures adequate delivery of oxygenated blood to the brain and vital organs till more advanced care can be made available and is thereby lifesaving. Conventional CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) requires chest compression and artificial respiration in the form of mouth to mouth respiration or ventilation using a back and mask. Cardiac only resuscitation (COR) is giving chest compressions alone without mouth to mouth respiration to a person in cardiac arrest (heart has stopped beating). Cardiac only resuscitation has been shown to be almost equally effective as conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Most persons are hesitant to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation on an unknown individual due to the fear of transmission of infections during mouth to mouth respiration. Hence popularization of cardiac only resuscitation may save valuable lives by prompting more and more persons to start resuscitation immediately on witnessing a cardiac arrest. Even in the new recommendations (2010) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, chest compressions have been given first priority. Earlier it was the ABC sequence for resuscitation, meaning airway, breathing and circulation in that order. This meant that one has to clear the air passages and initiate breathing before attending to blood circulation. Untrained persons may not be good at these procedures and valuable time is lost in starting chest compressions which have been shown to be more vital. The new resuscitation sequence is termed CAB sequence meaning that you start chest compressions first and then attend to air passages and breathing. Soon after a witnessed cardiac arrest, there is enough oxygen in the blood to provide it to the brain and vital organs if you can restart circulation. Hence the lower priority given to initiate breathing to oxygenate the blood in circulation.