CHICAGO, IL--Sixty percent of bystanders tested for attaining full recoil failed to get the force on the breast bone below 1.5 pounds during a recent study of a cohort whose age distribution approximately matched that of cardiac arrest victims, according to research by Fernando Perez, MD, and Robert H. Trenkamp, Jr., EMT-P, presented at the American Heart Association Resuscitation Science Symposium. Trenkamp is President of Saving Lives in Chatham County, Savannah, GA, and serves on the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation Advisory Council.
"The magnitude of this "leaning" ranged from 1.6 pounds (a minor problem) to 19.6 pounds (a major problem)," said Trenkamp.
Lack of full recoil reduces cerebral perfusion because of falling cardiac index, falling left ventricle myocardial blood flow, and rising right atrial diastolic blood pressure.
The study showed that about 80 percent of the subjects who failed to achieve full recoil during the first part of the trial were, after coaching, able to achieve full recoil.
The implications are that it is important for 911 personnel who are providing coaching to witnesses of cardiac arrests include a reminder about "full recoil" and that persons teaching CPR make sure the students really understand the importance of achieving it.
SOURCE: Saving Lives in Chatham County