Cardiopulmonary resuscitation by lay people.

The survival-rate in 75 of 631 patients with cardiac arrest in whom resuscitation was started outside hospital by lay people was 36%. Only 8% survived when attempts at resuscitation were delayed until the arrival of an ambulance team which included an anaesthetist and a specially trained nurse. These data show the importance of anoxia-time (time from cessation of circulation to initiation of resuscitation) to the chances of survival after resuscitation) to the chances of survival after resuscitation, and support the idea that lay people should be taught and encourage to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.