CPR ONLY EFFECTIVE 5 PERCENT OF THE TIME -- SO WHY BOTHER?

CPR ONLY EFFECTIVE 5 PERCENT OF THE TIME -- SO WHY BOTHER?

BOSTON (Wireless Flash) -- Does CPR really save as many lives as TV medical shows would have you believe? No, says a Boston sociologist who thinks its time for the overuse of CPR to die a quick death. Brandeis University sociologist Stefan Timmermans claims CPR is only effective about 5 percent of the time and many people receiving it usually have medical conditions that aren't likely to be reversed by the procedure. He says some CPR techniques -- such as jolting the body with electricity or pumping hard on the chest -- may actually make matters worse, especially in elderly patients. Although some people believe that even one life saved by CPR justifies the low survival rate, Timmermans says the other 95 percent deserve to die in dignity without being electrified or pummeled. Timmermans is the author of a new book, "Sudden Death And The Myth Of CPR" (Temple University Press).