V-CPR Under Special Circumstances

Summary

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a major cause of death globally, with bystander CPR rates varying widely (13-82%) despite public health efforts. Early recognition, EMS activation, and immediate CPR are key to survival, often beginning with a layperson guided by an emergency dispatcher.

Telephone-assisted CPR (T-CPR), where dispatchers give verbal instructions, is common but limited-dispatchers can't see the scene or correct CPR technique. In contrast, video-assisted CPR (V-CPR) enables visual feedback, potentially improving performance in areas like compression rate and hand placement. However, evidence is mixed regarding its effect on compression depth, and initiating a video call may introduce delays.

While V-CPR's technical benefits have been studied, little is known about how real-world distractions-like noise or poor lighting-affect its effectiveness. Our simulation study aimed to compare T-CPR and V-CPR under both ideal and challenging conditions to assess the impact of environmental factors on layperson CPR quality and dispatcher support.

Conditions

• Cardiac Arrest (CA)

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

sV-CPR

In the sV-CPR group, participants manage a simulated cardiac arrest scenario alone. They perform CPR while establishing a video connection with a dispatcher located in another room using a smartphone. To simulate challenging conditions, they must carry out the task in near-total darkness, with the phone's flashlight as the only light source.

BEHAVIORAL

V-CPR

In the V-CPR group, participants manage a simulated cardiac arrest scenario alone. They perform CPR while establishing a video connection with a dispatcher located in another room using a smartphone.

BEHAVIORAL

T-CPR

In the T-CPR group, participants manage a simulated cardiac arrest scenario alone. They perform CPR while establishing a telephone connection with a dispatcher located in another room using a smartphone (vocal communication only).

BEHAVIORAL

sT-CPR

In the sT-CPR group, participants manage a simulated cardiac arrest scenario alone. They perform CPR while establishing a telephone connection with a dispatcher located in another room using a smartphone (vocal communication only). To simulate challenging conditions, they must carry out the task in higher environmental noises (traffic), generated by a loudspeaker.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pecs

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-08-10

Primary Completion

2025-09-10

Completion

2025-09-10

Countries

• Hungary

Study Locations