The American Heart Association (AHA) now is promoting “two steps to save lives.”

The new hands-only CPR method, which does not require mouth-to-mouth, can help save more lives, particularly if people do not feel comfortable or qualified using traditional CPR, said Rene Olsen, training center assistant at Kishwaukee Community Hospital.

Currently, only about one-third of adults experiencing cardiac arrest at home, work or in public receive any form of help, according to the AHA Web site. This is often due to a feeling of helplessness in onlookers who are not trained in traditional CPR.

“The sooner you can restore circulation, the better,” Olsen said, noting that the body usually contains a reserve of oxygen that simply needs to be pushed through the body with chest compressions.

Michele Crase, associate director of Environmental Health and Safety at NIU, said there are really more than two steps in the CPR process.

First, see if the victim is OK. Then, check to see if they are conscious or breathing. If they are, do not push on their chest, Crase said. If the victim is not breathing, call 911 and begin compressions – about one hundred per minute – until help arrives.

Crase said there are some restrictions on using hands-only CPR. The method should not be used on children or drowning victim. In the case of drowning victims, the person performing CPR also needs to introduce air into the victim. Compressions only will not help.

In 2000, physicians concluded that doing chest compressions after cardiac arrest was the single most important step in keeping patients alive and hands-only CPR significantly raised survival rates, Crase said.

Crase said any students interested in learning CPR should e-mail her office.

KCH and the Red Cross both offer classes in CPR and other emergency procedures.