Each year in the United States 700,000 people die from the sudden onset of heart attack symptoms. Of these deaths over 350,000 occur in the prehospital setting. Many of these deaths are felt to be avoidable if a greater number of the lay public were trained in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

In the twenty-five years since Kouwenhoven, et al, suggested that closed chest cardiac compression and mouth-to-mouth artificial ventilation may artificially produce a satisfactory oxygenated systemic blood flow, there have been thousands of published research reports and articles focused upon a broad spectrum of subtopics ranging from the improvement of these techniques to the training of the lay rescuer. Knopp has suggested some parameters within which new CPR techniques must fall. First, any new skill should be applicable to the field setting. Second, the techniques should be simple to apply. And thirdly, any new techniques must be statistically linked with a significant increase in survival rates. Citizen Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) has taken on almost religious connotations. A national strategy has been adopted by the American Heart Association and American Red Cross to train the lay public using a variety of training techniques of varying lengths.