Is it useful teaching CPR at school age?

Authors’ conclusion: during training in high school, students should acquire knowledge and skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to meet at least the basic educational goals of the current guidelines of the American Heart Association, with special emphasis on the recognition that gasping is not a normal breath and in performing high quality chest compressions with minimal interruptions. Practices should be included in appropriate models of the victim and ensure that students are aware of the purpose, ease and safety of the use of semiautomatic defibrillation.

Reviewers’ commentary: if the students learn CPR, they will have enough occasions to put into practice their abilities in resuscitation and it can increase the number of saved lives, as well as the neurological recovery of the victims, but the benefits will be obtained at a very long term. In any case, it is necessary to be conscious of the difficulties that probably will arise in the implementation of an educational program of this type. Since the physical strength is determining in the resuscitation maneuvers, it would be preferable to concentrate these practices from 13 or 14 years of age on. The decision to implement or not this educational program, depends on the financing needs, since there would have to be used at least dummies reproducing the victims and, in case of including the education of automatic defibrillation, a simulator of this type of device.