Kiss of death for the kiss of life?

Chest compressions alone should be given if someone lacks the skills as the best chance of saving a life.

New guidelines published by the Resuscitation Council (UK) advise everybody to seek training in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and first-aid.

Specialists have found people are reluctant to give mouth to mouth, with some unwilling to "kiss" a stranger and others concerned about getting the technique wrong.

The 2010 Resuscitation Guidelines state the first action should be dialling 999, followed by compression-only CPR or full CPR if a person is trained.

According to the document, every opportunity should be taken to give compression-only CPR because "any CPR is better than no CPR".

Jasmeet Soar, chair of Resuscitation Council (UK), said it is a family member or friend who is most likely to need life saving skills.

He said: "Most cardiac arrests happen outside hospital, so it is vital that as many people as possible can do CPR. It is easy to learn and everybody could save a life by giving 30 good chest compressions to someone who has had a cardiac arrest.

"This can be followed by two rescue breaths if trained - if not, just carry on giving compressions until expert help arrives."

The guidelines are rewritten every five years and the publication of the latest rules follow an international gathering of experts in February.

People should perform chest compressions at a depth of 5cm to 6cm, at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. Previous guidelines recommended more shallow compressions and a rate of 100 per minute.

Compressions can be carried out by placing one hand on the centre of the victim's chest. The heel of the other hand should be put on top of the first and fingers should be interlocked, but kept away from the ribs.

An estimated 30,000 people each year in the UK have cardiac arrests in the community but fewer than 10 per cent survive and only around a third receive bystander CPR, which can double the chances of survival.