The American Cardiology Association has published a guide that facilitates the actions of lay people during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The new leadership has been developed by experts from the International Resuscitation Contact Committee, which includes leading resuscitation organizations from the Americas, Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Representatives from Asia and other countries not members of the Committee also participated in the development of the manual.

According to the rules of the new management, lay people no longer need to determine the victim's pulse before starting an indirect heart massage. In emergency situations, lay people often cannot reliably determine the victim's pulse. According to the rules of the new management, people who are not trained in resuscitation should look for other symptoms that indicate the presence of blood circulation in the victim: breathing, coughing and other spontaneous movements that occur in response to stimulation.. If all of the above symptoms are absent, you should start an indirect cardiac massage (NMS). During this time, people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation must check the victim's pulse before the start of NMS.

The rules have been simplified, according to which the exact number of chest compressions should correspond to a certain number of respiratory movements. According to the old rules, if a rescuer performs resuscitation measures, after two respiratory movements, it is necessary to produce 15 chest compressions. In the case where resuscitation is carried out by two rescuers, the ratio of respiratory movements and chest compressions should be 5: 1. According to the new guidelines, regardless of the number of people providing assistance, this ratio should be 15 : 2 (Circulation 2000; 102: I-1-384).

Previously, it was necessary for unconscious victims of an alleged airway obstruction to try to clean them by inserting a finger into the mouth and then applying pressure to the abdomen - the so-called Heimlich technique. A recent study has shown that compressing the chest creates enough tension to cleanse the airways. Therefore, according to the new management, the NMZ should be started immediately. Pressure on the abdomen is recommended if the victim is conscious.

Particular attention is paid to achieving early defibrillation. If a patient has a heart attack in the hospital, the medical staff should defibrill for 3 minutes. If a heart attack occurs outside the hospital, defibrillation should continue for at least 5 minutes. Portable automatic defibrillators are planned to be placed in public buildings.