How much time would you be willing to invest to save a life? If you have even one minute — to watch an instruction CPR training video — that may be all it would take to save the lives of individuals suffering heart-attack emergencies, according to new research.
The findings, presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association this week, indicate people who watched one-minute videos to learn compression-only CPR were better prepared, called 9-1-1 more frequently, initiated chest compression sooner, had an increased chest compression rate, and a decreased hands-off interval, the study found.
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"Given the short length of training, these findings suggest that ultra-brief video training may have potential as a universal intervention for public venues to help bystander reaction and improve CPR skills," said lead researcher Ashish Panchal, M.D.
The findings are based on a test of two groups of individuals 48 adults who watched a one-minute CPR video and a second group of 47 people who sat idle for one minute. Afterward, both groups were asked to do "what they thought best" with a mannequin simulating a sudden collapse.
Researchers measured responsiveness as time to call 9-1-1 and start chest compression, and CPR quality reflected by chest compression depth, rate, and hands-off interval time.