Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation can do heart attack victims more harm than good,
says an expert panel convened by the American Heart Association.
Many people are reluctant to help heart attack victims because they are
nervous about giving mouth-to-mouth. Studies have also shown that a single
person can鈥檛 perform both mouth-to-mouth and the recommended 80 chest
compressions per minute.
Given that blood oxygen levels in heart attack victims decline only
gradually, says panel chairman Lance Becker of the University of Chicago, 鈥渋f
you鈥檙e scared of mouth-to-mouth, just do the compressions鈥�.
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