Abstract
Objective: To determine the duration and obstacles to prolonged on-scene cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and establish how long a pair of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) can provide high-quality CPR. Method: Intermediate-level EMTs in Gyeonggi-do Province, Republic of Korea completed a survey regarding on-scene CPR. EMTs undergoing routine training took part in a simulation using mannequins. Parameters including compression depth, total number and rate of compressions; occurrence of incorrect hand position and incomplete chest recoil were collected over 16 2-min cycles of CPR (32 min total), with EMTs working in pairs. Result: The simulation study included 43 EMTs. The median duration of on-scene CPR was 3.7 min. Fear of decrease in performance was the main obstacle to continued CPR (n = 188/254 [74.0%]). Standards for high-quality CPR were met at each of the 16 steps of the simulation. Compression rate increased significantly with time. There were no significant changes in any other parameter. Conclusion: Pairs of EMTs maintained high-quality CPR for 16 cycles (32 min) with no decrease in performance. Our findings could provide evidence to recommend guidelines for duration of on-scene CPR for cardiac arrest, particularly in countries where the level and number of ambulance crews are limited.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 841-850 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of International Medical Research |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2015 |
Keywords
- CPR time
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- cardiac arrest
- chest compression
- performance