In a major change, the American Heart Association is now urging people to perform the hands-only CPR and skip mouth-to-mouth breathing on victims of sudden cardiac arrest, according to media reports Tuesday.

The association urged people not to stand idly by because they do not think they know how to administer CPR while an adult stricken with sudden cardiac arrest is dying in front of them.

"We want the general public to know that even if they've never been trained, they can help victims of sudden cardiac arrest," said Dr. Michael Sayre of Ohio State University, who headed the association's team that drafted the new recommendations.

"You only have to do two things. Call 911 and push hard and fast on the middle of the person's chest," said Sayre.

Hands-only CPR calls for uninterrupted chest presses -- 100 a minute -- until paramedics take over or an automated external defibrillator is available to restore a normal heart rhythm.

This action should be taken only for adults who unexpectedly collapse, stop breathing and are unresponsive. A child who collapses is more likely to primarily have breathing problems -- and in that case, mouth-to-mouth breathing should be used.

But in either case, "something is better than nothing," Sayre said.

An estimated 310,000 Americans die each year of cardiac arrest outside hospitals or in emergency rooms. Only about 6 percent of those who are stricken outside a hospital survive, although rates vary by location. People who quickly get CPR while awaiting medical treatment have double or triple the chance of surviving. But less than a third of victims get this essential help.

(Agencies via Xinhua April 1, 2008)