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30 - Manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques

from Part IV - Therapy of sudden death

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2010

Henry R. Halperin
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Barry K. Rayburn
Affiliation:
University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
Norman A. Paradis
Affiliation:
University of Colorado, Denver
Henry R. Halperin
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Karl B. Kern
Affiliation:
University of Arizona
Volker Wenzel
Affiliation:
Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Austria
Douglas A. Chamberlain
Affiliation:
Cardiff University
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Summary

The standard technique of external chest compression in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has changed little since the landmark paper of Kouwenhoven et al. in 1960 (Fig. 30.1). This is despite the fact that a variety of alternate techniques have been proposed as providing an advantage over the standard method. The rhythmic application of force to the body of the patient is fundamental to the process of generating blood flow in CPR, but there is little agreement as to the optimal technique for applying that force. There is a great need for improved external chest compression techniques since only an average of 15% of patients treated with standard CPR survive cardiac arrest, and it is widely agreed that increasing the blood flow generated by chest compression will improve survival.

This chapter will review the standard external chest compression technique as it is currently taught, including its origins and its rather scant scientific basis. It will also explore in detail the origins, physiology, and applicability of some alternate manual techniques that have been proposed.

Standard external chest compression

According to the most recently published guidelines of the Emergency Cardiac Care Committee of the American Heart Association, external chest compressions are applied by the rescuer who places the heel of one hand over the victim's sternum. The second hand is placed on top of the first in such a way that the fingers do not touch the chest. The fingers may be interlocked if desired. Force is applied straight down with the elbows locked and the shoulders in line with the hands.

Type
Chapter
Information
Cardiac Arrest
The Science and Practice of Resuscitation Medicine
, pp. 571 - 584
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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