American Heart Association changes CPR guidelines for health care workers

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - The American Heart Association has updated their guidelines for health care officials to perform CPR.

The new guidelines are in response to new variants of coronavirus such as delta and omicron. The biggest change in the guidelines is the emphasis on the need for personal protective equipment such as respirators, gloves and eye protection when performing CPR.

“The COVID pandemic is ever revolving. You know new information is coming out, not just here in the U.S. but internationally. So the American Heart Association works with expert volunteers, not just in the U.S. but also with the world health organization and other agencies that are working to help eradicate this virus and help protect people.” said Cynthia Keely who is with the American Heart Association.

The American Heart Association is advising those without proper PPE to use hands only CPR. You can view the full outline of the new guidelines here: New CPR guidance addresses more contagious COVID-19 variants amidst evolving pandemic | American Heart Association

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