A review of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and its history

In 1768, the Dutch Humane Society was founded by physicians and laypeople to work together to assist victims of drowning. The society created and disseminated rules and methods of resuscitation. At that time, it was thought that victims of drowning died due to inhaled water. Initial resuscitation attempts focused on hanging the victim upside down or rolling them inverted on barrels. In 1889, Sir Henry Head developed the cuffed endotracheal tube. In 1895, Alfred Kirstein invented the laryngoscope in order to better visualize the trachea. Dr. Peter Safar, an anesthesiologist, in the mid-twentieth century investigated various techniques for airway management. He found that 50% of patients’ airways would be opened by a head tilt; the remaining 50% could be opened with either thrusting the mandible forward or the insertion of an oropharyngeal airway.