Loading...
Recent emphasis on the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and concern about chest compressions being too slow and too shallow have prompted real-time measurement. Researchers analyzed electronic CPR compression depth data from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium for a convenience sample of 1029 adult patients treated by 58 emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in seven U.S. and Canadian cities from 2006 to 2009. Patients with EMS-witnessed arrest and those who received bystander defibrillation were excluded.
Overall, median compression rate was 106 per minute, and median compression depth was 37.3 mm. About half of patients (53%) had a recorded compression depth <38 mm, and nearly all (92%) had depths <50 mm. Faster compres…