Resuscitation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Quality of mechanical, manual standard and active compression-decompression CPR on the arrest site and during transport in a manikin model.
The quality of mechanical CPR (M-CPR) was compared with manual standard CPR (S-CPR) and active compression-decompression CPR (ACD-CPR) performed by paramedics on the site of a cardiac arrest and during manual and ambulance transport. Each technique was performed 12 times on manikins using teams from a group of 12 paramedic students with good clinical CPR experience using a random cross-over design. Except for some lost ventilations the CPR effort using the mechanical device adhered to the European Resuscitation Council guidelines, with an added time requirement of median 40 s for attaching the device compared with manual standard CPR. ⋯ On the stairs, 68% of S-CPR compressions and 100% of ACD-CPR compressions were too weak. In conclusion, when evaluated on a manikin, in comparison with manual standard and ACD-CPR, mechanical CPR adhered more closely to ERC guidelines. This was particularly true when performing CPR during transport on a stretcher.