The Energon Pub

THis is actually a very intersting theory. Despite the fact that a person may not be breathing, there is still more than enough oxygen in the lungs to oxygenate the blood. Also, think about it: if you are doing rescue breathing, you are blowing de-oxygenated air into the vicitim's lungs. Pushing more air into the lungs isn't going to speed up the process of diffusion- which is precisely how air gets into the blood stream in the lungs- higher concentration to lower concentration. When we breathe in the O2 content is roughly 22-23 percent; when we exhale, it's roughly 18-19 percent...which means that there is still a LOT of O2 in the air we exhale.
Another thing to note is that the drive to breathe is NOT driven by lack of oxygen but by overabundance of CO2. Chemoreceptors monitor CO2 levels in the blood and activate the adrenal system if we are accumulating too much CO2. Increased breathing results in more oxygen being brought in, but MOST IMPORTANTLY, lots more CO2 is lost. Again, diffusion is the method this happens. So, really, the oxygen levels in the lungs are more than adequate to maintain life in the new CPR. THe trick is to maintain blood flow so that the CO2 can diffuse out of the blood in the lungs.