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No More Mouth-To-Mouth: New Push For Hands-Only CPR

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There's a new push for hands-only CPR.

CPR no longer means mouth-to-mouth rescuscitation as chest compressions only have been shown to save lives.

Dancer Ashley Newman went into cardiac arrest last year during rehearsal.

"I was putting my things away and that's the last memory I have," said Newman. "And I woke up in the hospital."

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The 32-year-old had an irregular heartbeat triggered by exercise.

"You were not moving, not breathing, not talking and your face had gone completely purple," said dance instructor Chase Brock.

Brock called 911, while two others started hands-only CPR.

"Hands-only CPR is the standard now. You don't have to do mouth-to-mouth," said Dr. Holly Andersen of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

The hospital is launching a new hands-only CPR campaign to show people it only takes one minute to learn the three life-saving steps: check if you don't see any breathing or movement; call 911 immediately; start compressions.

Andersen says without CPR, 92 percent of people die before making it to the hospital.

"Many people are dying of this because communities don't react," said Andersen. "We want to empower people to know what to do, how to respond."

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Newman was diagnosed with a heart problem, so she now has a defibrillator. She is back to dancing one year later.

"It was a really special moment because I didn't think I would ever dance again," said Newman.

During CPR, you should push on the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute.

Doctors say every minute without CPR, the chances for survival go down 10 percent.

It's important to remember to call 911 before starting those chest compressions.

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