A NEW STUDY SHOWS that mouth-to-mouth is not the best way to help someone who has just had a heart attack. The reason is simple: The blood already contains oxygen, so simply circulating the blood can revive the heart. But the chest-compression part of standard CPR doesn't circulate the blood very well, so when you stop pumping (in order to give mouth-to-mouth), you are starving the heart and brain of oxygen.

The study compared those who got only chest compressions with those who got both chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth. The ones who got chest compression only (without mouth-to-mouth) were more likely to survive.

It is good news for two reasons: First, it is much easier to do. It's a much simpler task to only give chest compressions. And second, once this information is widely known, bystanders will be more likely to help because they won't have to risk getting a disease by giving mouth-to-mouth to a stranger.

Read more about the new study here:

in InteliHealth

in New Scientist

in ABC News

in Associated Content