The American Heart Association (AHA) has released its new "2025 CPR and Emergency Care Guidelines." This is the first full update to these life-saving rules since 2020. The new advice includes better ways to handle choking and suspected opioid overdose, along with other steps to save a life. Every year, about 350,000 people in the U.S. experience sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, and nearly 90% of them do not survive. The AHA’s new guidelines, its first full update since 2020, offer science-backed instructions that make emergency response easier for everyone to understand and apply.What To Do When A Person Is Choking The instructions for helping someone who is choking are now clearer and apply to all ages: For Adults and Older Children (who are awake) You should switch back and forth between giving five back blows (hits on the back) and five abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver). Keep doing this until the object comes out or the person passes out. This is new for adults, and the old rules for children just said to do abdominal thrusts. For Infants You should switch back and forth between giving five back blows and five chest thrusts, which are pushes on the chest, using the heel of one hand. Keep going until the object comes out or the baby passes out. Do not use abdominal thrusts on infants, as it could seriously hurt them. How To Spot an Opioid Overdose The guidelines have new advice for helping someone who might have overdosed on opioids. Opioids cause many drug overdose deaths because they slow down the part of the brain that controls breathing. Watch for these signs of a suspected opioid overdose: Breathing is slow, very shallow, or has stopped.Making choking or gurgling noises.Feeling very sleepy or passing out.The pupils (black centers of the eyes) are very small and tight.The skin, lips, or fingernails look blue or gray.For the first time, the AHA provides step-by-step directions for using naloxoneWhat You Need To Know About CPR The AHA also worked with pediatric experts to update the rules for kids and newborns: Helping Newborns For most newborns who don't need immediate help, the updated rule now recommends a slight delay, asking doctors to wait at least 60 seconds before cutting the umbilical cord. This simple change is crucial for the baby's health, as it allows more blood to flow to the infant, improving their blood and iron levels. Easier CPR Steps The complicated, separate steps previously used to guide rescuers have been replaced with a single, simple "Chain of Survival." This new chain clearly stresses that when a person's heart stops, it is absolutely essential to quickly perform both chest compressions and rescue breaths, especially for infants and children, to give them the best chance of surviving. Training Younger People New research shows that kids who are 12 years old or older can be successfully trained to perform high-quality CPR and even learn to use a defibrillator. The American Heart Association wants everyone to take a class to learn these vital skills, encouraging more training programs and public education efforts so that communities are better prepared for medical emergencies. The AHA urges everyone to take a CPR class to learn these life-saving skills. They are encouraging more training and public campaigns to make sure everyone is ready to help in an emergency
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