Kiss of life or the kiss of death?

Feb. 9, 2011 - PRLog -- The ‘kiss of life’ was described in the Bible and its first ‘scientific’ recommendation was by the Paris Academy of Sciences in 1740 as a treatment of drowning victims.

It was subsequently re-invented in 1956 by Drs Safar and Elam as ‘mouth to mouth resuscitation’ and in 1960, mouth-to-mouth ventilations, combined with closed chest compressions, was adopted by the American Heart Association and has since been taught across the world as the most appropriate intervention by members of the public when witnessing a cardiac arrest.

Or is it?

On Monday 21 February, Malcolm Woollard, Professor of Pre-hospital and Emergency Care from the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Coventry University, will be giving a Professorial Lecture about the use of the ‘kiss of life’ and why some experts in 1998 controversially recommended that mouth-to-mouth training be removed from public classes.

Professor Woollard said:

“There has been overwhelming evidence that CPR was too complicated to learn in a two hour course and I will be looking at whether teaching artificial ventilation to the public is of benefit or harm. The subject has since created a cross-Atlantic divide in treatment recommendations.”

Professor Woollard will be reviewing the latest research and asking if it is indeed the ‘kiss of life or the kiss of death?’

The talk takes place in the Humber Lecture Theatre of the George Eliot Building, Coventry University campus on Monday 21 February at 6pm.

Admission is free and open to the public and refreshments will be available after the lecture at 7pm.

To book a place at the lecture, email: suky.dhillon@coventry.ac.uk or call 024 7679 5294.
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For further information, contact Ali Bushnell, External Press and Media Relations Officer on 024 7688 8245.

Note to editors:

For directions to the venue, log on to www.coventry.ac.uk/map

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The External Communications team from Coventry University promotes a wide range of initiatives, services, success stories and other related aspects of Higher Education and the achievements of its staff and students as well as comment pieces from experts.