CPR has been ingrained in mass culture for the past 35 years, but what if a new innovation came along that supplanted it? That's precisely what happened in March 2007 when a team of Japanese researchers published a surprising paper in the prestigious Lancet medical journal. It tracked 4,068 adults who'd gone into cardiac arrest with bystanders present but not in a hospital. The shocker: Victims who received only the chest-pumping part of CPR had slightly better health outcomes than those who received full CPR, including mouth-to-mouth. For most victims, then, mouth-to-mouth was pointless.
This was great news, because it meant that people could save lives without knowing CPR, which is complicated to learn. It takes hours of training to master, and even people with CPR certification often freeze when a real person collapses, afraid they'll screw up: How many times do I pump before doing a breath? The study suggested that all you need to do is call 911, then push hard and fast on the person's chest until the ambulance arrives. That's it. You've saved a life without getting your lips involved.
The above two paragraphs come from an article in Fast Company, a breezy and insightful business mag. The article was written by Dan and Chip Heath. They are quite bright. I've read their book, Made to Stick, and it's excellent. It'll help you in business and actually in all areas of your life. The link to the book is my Amazon affiliate link and if you use that link to order the book, Amazon will pay me somewhere between 30 and 40 cents. But it adds up and I will get the Lear Jet.
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