Wow - big changes announced today by the American Heart Association! Based on recent studies demonstrating the priority of adequate circulation in saving cardiac arrest victims, chest compressions are now the first step in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The rate of chest compressions should be 100 per minute, with a depth of at least 2 inches in adults and children and 1.5 inches in infants.

Exceptions to the new guidelines include newborns and those with primary respiratory arrest. In these victims, the steps should remain airway management, followed by rescue breathing, and then chest compressions.

Here are some helpful links with more about these changes:

• Official 2010 Guidelines for CPR and ECC
• Highlights of the changes
• Video from the American Heart Association
• Article from MedPage Today

Also, here are links to the abstracts from the supporting studies:

• Journal of the American Medical Association 
• The Lancet