This is only supported by my anecdotal evidence, but part of the reason why some folks refuse to learn CPR is because they simply don’t want to have to put their mouth on someone else’s. It’s true – locking lips with another person involves intimacy. Some people don't like to even kiss on the first date, so why should they feel comfortable doing mouth-to-mouth with a complete stranger?

So in the last few years, the idea of “Compression-Only” CPR has developed and gained some popularity. It’s CPR without the rescue breaths. The American Red Cross stance on Compression-Only CPR has been simple: doing something is better than doing nothing. The Red Cross still encourages people to be trained in full CPR, but in a life-threatening emergency performing continuous chest compressions can still help save someone’s life.

This week, studies in the New England Journal of Medicine agreed. Out of more than 3,200 cardiac cases, those patients whom received the new-style of CPR were just as likely to survive.

The Red Cross still recommends full CPR for infants and children since they experience sudden cardiac arrest primarily due to respiratory problems causing a loss of oxygen.

As for further research, the Red Cross is currently leading a CPR skill retention study which looks at different educational models and Compression-Only versus full CPR.