Understanding Reasons Behind Refraining from CPR: Insights
CPR Compressions

Last Updated On: May 30, 2024

Why People Refrain From Performing CPR

If a person suffers from sudden cardiac arrest outside of a medical facility, bystander CPR can make the difference between life and death. It can multiply the chances of survival for a victim. This is a lifesaving skill you can learn through online CPR training that you must learn to deliver the right treatment required in such critical situations. However, it is tragic to know that most of the victims do not get appropriate help in the form of CPR from the bystanders. Here are the reasons that stop people from performing this procedure despite having training:

They Do Not Want To Be Sued:

There are Good Samaritan Laws in almost every state of America to protect the bystanders performing CPR on strangers. These laws may slightly vary from one state to another. But, they have a single common goal to encourage more people to undergo online CPR training and save lives when it is required. So, if you act as a responsible citizen by providing proper care as per your level of training without getting compensated, you will be protected by these laws.

They Do Not Want To Hurt A Victim:

This is mainly due to the fear of breaking a rib during the resuscitation. People fear that they may cause more harm to a person already suffering from pain. Here, you need to understand that CPR is a process in which you may accidentally break the ribs without endangering the life of the victim. The compressions must be given at a depth of 2 inches in an adult.

It takes nearly 60 pounds of force that’s enough to cause bone injuries. After receiving CPR, victims may sustain sternum fractures, sternocostal separations, or rib fractures. These conditions do not threaten the life of a person. Hence, you shouldn’t worry about them when performing CPR.

They Do Not Want To Make A Mistake:

A lack of confidence also stops people from performing CPR during emergencies. You can rely on hands-only CPR in such cases when you aren’t confident of your skills. It is easy to learn this technique in an online CPR training as well. It is suitable for people having no medical training or exposure.

They Do Not Want to Catch a Disease:

Despite knowing CPR, many people are reluctant to perform this procedure for the fear of catching a contagious disease. There are possibilities of catching infections when performing mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing. However, you do not need to give rescue breaths to save a person from sudden cardiac arrest. The new guidelines of CPR require bystanders to push sufficiently hard and fast in the middle of the chest to save a precious life.

Conclusion

These are some reasons that refrain people from performing this lifesaving skill. You can mitigate these fears by learning CPR from a professional provider.