abstract: Shock value: the European Resuscitation Council has published new guidelines for the resuscitation of adults and children. These recommend giving 30 chest compressions for every two breaths, instead of 15 as recommend in the 2000 guidelines. They also note that advances in defibrillator technology enable healthcare workers and trained laypeople to give electric shocks earlier and more effectively to people in cardiac arrest. The guidelines appear in the December issue of Resuscitation but are also published separately, both in full and pocket book form. See readers' offer on page 7.