NSC Statement re: Hands-Only CPR

The National Safety Council’s First Aid, CPR and AED courses always have followed the most current American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.

On March 31, 2008, the American Heart Association published an Advisory Statement, Hands-Only CPR: a call to action for bystander response to adults who experience out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in the journal Circulation. This statement clarifies and elaborates the 2005 Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. It applies to bystanders who see an adult collapse suddenly in an out-of-hospital setting.

The purpose of the Advisory Statement is to encourage the use of Hands-Only CPR by untrained bystanders and by trained bystanders who are not confident that they can perform conventional CPR. The statement also notes that trained bystanders who are confident that they can perform conventional CPR with minimal interruption to chest compressions can do so or they can perform Hands-Only CPR.

The Advisory Statement does not change the guidelines for conventional CPR (30 compressions and 2 breaths) for adults whose sudden cardiac arrest is not witnessed, victims of drowning, and infants and children. The National Safety Council’s current CPR materials are technically correct. We will continue to teach conventional CPR and will incorporate Hands-Only CPR in adult CPR instruction for lay rescuers.

Barbara Caracci, MS, NREMT
Director of Emergency Care Programs and Training
Direct: (630) 775 - 2336
caraccib@nsc.org