Fire Department Adopts New Cardiac Arrest Treatment

The Burlington Fire Department will no longer be administering CPR on cardiac arrest patients — because there’s a better option.

The department is switching protocol to CCR, or cardio-cerebral resuscitation, it announced in a press release. Cardio-cerebral resuscitation looks different from CPR. The most obvious difference is that mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths are not performed during CCR. Secondly, CCR takes longer to complete. Paramedics and EMTs can perform chest compressions for up to eight minutes before transporting a cardiac arrest patient.

As a result, the Fire Department said that bystanders can expect an extended on-scene time by emergency responders. But that’s not a bad thing. The extra few minutes spent performing CCR contribute to a better recovery for the patient. In the end, CCR will “increase the survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients and improve their neurological outcomes.”

When the department followed CPR protocol, it prioritized quick transport of the patient and rescue breathing, which have been shown to disrupt resuscitation.

“This new procedure has proven to increase the survival rates of cardiac arrest patients, compared to traditional advanced life support protocols,” Fire Chief Steve Yetman said. “By implementing CCR, we ensure that the Burlington Fire Department is able to provide the highest level of emergency care out there to our residents.”

[Photo courtesy of Burlington Fire Department]