New CPR protocol for first responders

PROVIDENCE – A new rule requiring first responders to administer 30 minutes of CPR to cardiac-arrest patients prior to being transferred to the hospital is set to go into effect March 1, WLNE-TV ABC 6 reported Feb. 11. The protocol is being rolled out by the R.I. Department of Health.

“The goal is to get the hospital … to the patient rather than rush them to the hospital,” said Jason Rhodes, chief of EMS for RIDOH.

The Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs met last month and decided to embrace the new EMS protocol based on the positive statistics and data collected nationwide.

But Dr. Michael Dacey, CEO of Kent Hospital, says the new CPR protocol is not enough. He says training more people in CPR would help, adding bystanders who know how to step in and help prior to first responders arriving can make a dramatic difference. •

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