Influence of Posture and Positioning in Rescuer's Fatigue and Quality of Chest Compressions

Summary

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency maneuver used in a victim who is in cardiac arrest. Early and efficient CPR, with special focus on chest compressions, is a key element to improve patient's survival. The focus for success in resuscitation should not only be the rapid onset of the maneuvers, but also the quality with which they are applied. There are several ways to improve CPR quality, taking training an important role and being relevant for skills acquisition and retention, for both healthcare professionals and laypeople. American Heart Association (AHA) recently recommended the use of technology-enhanced simulators and learning management systems to tailor the training and promote retention. Both training methodologies and support devices are built considering fundamental research, aiming the improvement of patient's outcomes. Based on these scientific developments, guidelines are established focusing on several aspects related to resuscitation, presenting variants of the procedures and considering the profile of the victim. Therefore, studying the quality of CPR and the factors that influence the rescuer's performance is very relevant. The study of fatigue in CPR maneuvers has appeared in the literature mainly after the recent updates to the guidelines. In addition to intrinsic fatigue, there are other extrinsic factors to the CPR maneuver that influence its quality, such as the posture and the position of the rescuer, among others. Most published studies investigate the influence of a single factor in CPR quality, as opposed to the combination of the above-described factors in correlation with rescuer fatigue. We consider this void in literature an opportunity to explore how these factors correlate among them, and how they influence CPR performance and quality. We anticipate that the results from this multi-centre, international project will promote rescuer awareness to specific posture/positioning that influence their fatigue and performance, through the formal development of recommendations to, ultimately, promote high quality CPR. It is expected that this study will provide translational validity, as it is expected to result in changes in current clinical practice.

Conditions

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Interventions

OTHER

CPR Arms Angle 90º

Within each independent group, a randomized crossover design will be used: half of the group will start with arms position at 90º.

OTHER

CPR Arms Angle 60º

Within each independent group, a randomized crossover design will be used: half of the group will start with arms position at 60º.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ludwig-Maximilians - University of Munich

  collaborator OTHER

• Arcada University of Applied Sciences

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias e Serviços de Saúde

  collaborator OTHER

• Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  collaborator OTHER

• Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

  collaborator OTHER

• Universidade do Porto

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Carla Sa-Couto, PhD · Universidade do Porto

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-02-01

Primary Completion

2023-12-01

Completion

2024-02-01

Countries

• Portugal

Study Locations