The history of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or CPR
Le 2023-02-06
Cardio-Respiratory Resuscitation (CPR) refers to all the maneuvers to be carried out to restart the beating of the heart of a victim of respiratory or cardiac distress while waiting for the arrival of help. You should know that being deprived of oxygen for too long exposes the patient to the risk of serious and irreversible sequelae and his chances of survival decrease every minute. It is therefore essential to act quickly. Today, anyone who has undergone adequate training can apply this technique and thus save lives. But how did CPR come about?
It was in 1740 that emergency resuscitation through mouth-to-mouth and chest compression was first applied to drowning victims, under the recommendation of the Paris Academy of Sciences.
About 2 centuries later, researchers at Johns Hopkins University made an impressive and revolutionary discovery: it is possible to restore the pulse to the femoral artery of a dog with ventricular fibrillation by performing external compressions to the level of his chest.
This is how Cardio-Respiratory Resuscitation or CPR came into being, somewhat by chance. It was called “closed chest cardiac massage” at the time, because the maneuvers were performed without having to dissect the patient’s chest. Hospitals quickly adopted this method. It should be noted that it is within the same establishment that the first closed chest defibrillator, intended for the resuscitation of an adult, was invented.
Over the years, research has concluded that the immediate application of CPR in the event of cardio-respiratory distress is the best way to optimize the victim’s chances of survival. Moreover, the maneuvers were rather easy to learn, even without specific skills in medicine.
Thus, after very long battles and several methodological tests, CPR training, as it is offered today, was opened to the general public around the 1970s. Currently, even children can follow course. It should be noted that mouth-to-mouth or insufflation has not been practiced since that time, chest compression having finally proven to be sufficient.
At Impact Santé+, we currently offer several CPR training programs in Quebec. Here are some of the courses currently available:
Training partner of the Canadian Red Cross for more than 20 years, we offer complete and good quality courses including a theoretical part and a practical one. In addition, our instructors can travel to your premises to give lessons.
CPR greatly increases the chances of survival for a victim of cardio-respiratory distress if it is performed in time. We therefore encourage you to sign up for training in order to acquire the necessary skills to perform the maneuvers correctly if you ever face this type of situation one day. Do not hesitate to visit our site or contact us for additional information on our offers.
