The modern era of resuscitation began in 1960 with the publication of the classic paper by Jude, Kouwenhoven, and Knickerbocker on closed chest cardiac compression, which showed that the circulation could be maintained during cardiac arrest without the need for thoracotomy. A few years earlier Elam, Safar, and Gordon had established expired air ventilation as the most effective method for providing artificial ventilation for a patient who had stopped breathing.

The effectiveness of closed chest defibrillation had been demonstrated by Zoll a few years earlier. By combining the techniques of chest compression with expired air ventilation, it became possible to maintain the viability of a patient in cardiopulmonary arrest until a defibrillator could be brought to the scene. Special units were established that were able to resuscitate patients at high risk of developing cardiac arrest, and special hospital cardiac arrest teams were created.

Since then, resuscitation has become regular practice among doctors, EMTs and other medical professionals, as well as among other professions, such as lifeguards and daycare providers. This guide covers a great deal of information on resuscitation and related medical knowledge, such as ventricular fibrillation and post-resuscitation care...even the ethics of the topic!

If you've ever wanted to know what goes into the techniques that save lives, this medical manual gives you 126-pages of useful info!