Last Updated on September 13, 2022 by Neelam Singh
Quick Take
A video on social media claims cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is lifesaving in case of a heart attack. The video shows a person giving CPR to an unconscious individual. We fact-checked and found the claim is False. The way CPR is done in the video is incorrect.
The Claim
A Facebook video shows a person giving CPR and following an incorrect procedure to an unconscious individual. The video has received more than 580K likes, 5.5k comments, and 30.1M plays till we last checked.
Fact Check
What is CPR?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a procedure to restart a heart that has stopped beating. This condition is called cardiac arrest as the heart’s electrical system stops sending signals for the heart to beat.
Heartbeat can also stop in case of a heart attack. During a heart attack, blood flow to the heart gets significantly reduced due to a blocked artery.
In the case of a heart attack, CPR is no use as long as the person having a heart attack is alert and breathing. Also, CPR does not work on all unconscious people with a heart attack.
Is the method shown in video correct?
No. We referred to the CPR steps provided by the American Red Cross Training Services and found that the person in the Facebook video is performing the wrong CPR. The fingers while giving chest compressions must be interlocked. Also, the body posture of the unconscious person must remain straight, which was not followed in the video as the unconscious individual’s neck was tilting throughout the video. Also, the process does not require a handkerchief to give breaths, as shown in the video.
The video also does not talk about compressions to ventilations ratio. After performing 30 chest compressions, two rescue breaths must be administered mouth to mouth, mouth to mask or through stoma, as appropriate. For children and infants, if two rescuers are performing CPR, this ratio changes to 15:2.
Should you perform CPR by watching social media videos?
No. Most social media videos do not give the correct picture of the process. From the Facebook video, it is evident that CPR must be given only by experienced healthcare professionals. A layman should only watch the video to understand the basic steps involved in giving CPR as well as when and why CPR should be done. Mere watching social media videos will never provide hands-on experience, which is essential to follow the correct procedure.
The same has been confirmed by a research published in 2022 that informs no video presents 100% compliance with the American Heart Association guidelines. Also, there is no method to supervise and control health-related contents that allow people to post mistaken videos, which are used as learning material by many people.
Doing CPR is not as easy as it looks in videos. Regular practice of CPR gives an idea of strength and ability to continue doing CPR along with an understanding of the depth needed for each chest compression. Good CPR requires an in-person class with mannequins which is monitored by a good instructor.
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