Two new studies claim that CPR done without the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is equally helpful. Onlookers can miss out mouth-to-mouth breathing and save the patient who supposedly have a heart attack by doing chest compressions alone.

Researcher Thomas D. Rea, MD, Medical Director for King County, Wash., Medic One, tells WebMD, ''We feel comfortable saying chest compressions alone, when performed by a layperson, will provide at least the benefit that conventional CPR, with rescue breathing, will provide".

The study, together with an additional nose-to-nose evaluation of the two CPR techniques, came out in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Rea said that seeing that execution of CPR can double the survival chances, rigorous efforts are being made so that CPR becomes more handy to onlookers. The learning that one can skip mouth-to-mouth resuscitation will make the CPR easier for bystanders.

Rea is of the view that performing only CPR should be restricted to only onlookers, who can offer CPR if they suspect a person having heart attack. The emergency medical staff should continue using both the approaches.

The CPR approach was introduced around 50 years back, while mouth-to-mouth breathing was included at a later stage. Researchers proposed that CPR could facilitate blood circulation to the brain and heart subsequent to a heart attack.