Clawson Letter

Abstract

Objectives. Growing evidence indicates that it may not be essential to deliver ventilations in the first few minutes of CPR. We compared time to delivery of first compression in traditional CPR with ventilations andcompressions to compression-only CPR performed by untrained laypersons assisted by a mock 911 dispatcher. Methods. This randomized-controlled simulation study included a convenience sample of English-speaking emergency department visitors during a 6-month period. Exclusion criteria were prior CPR training or physical incapacity. A cardiac arrest scenario was presented to subjects who were then provided with one of two sets of telephone CPR instructions by a mock 911 dispatcher. One group received traditional CPR instructions (TCPR) andthe second group received compression only CPR instructions (COCPR). Subjects performed CPR on a Laerdal Resusci-Anne CPR manikin andrecording strips were analyzed for frequency andquality measures. Pre-and post-test questionnaires assessed subject fatigue andtele...