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Pulse checks interrupt chest compressions and no longer are recommended during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but delivering a shock clearly requires a pause in compressions. In a study of 815 patients in Canada and the U.S. who received some 2400 shocks, researchers analyzed the association between pause duration and outcomes.
The mean arrival time for responders was 5.9 minutes. The median preshock pause (time from cessation of CPR to shock delivery) was 15.6 seconds (range, 0–107 seconds), and the median postshock pause (time from shock delivery to resumption of CPR) was 8.3 seconds (range, 0–220 seconds); guidelines recommend pause duration ≤5 seconds. The odds of return of spontaneous circulation in the emergency department were 0…