Medical Uses
CPR is indicated for any person who is with no breathing, or who is only breathing in occasional agonal gasps, as it is most likely that they are in cardiac arrest. If a person still has a pulse, but is not breathing (respiratory arrest), artificial respirations may be more appropriate, but due to the difficulty people have in accurately assessing the presence or absence of a pulse, CPR guidelines recommend that lay persons should not be instructed to check the pulse, while giving health care professionals the option to check a pulse. In those with cardiac arrest due to trauma CPR is considered futile in the pulseless case, but still recommended for correctible causes of arrest.
Read more about this topic: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
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