Improvement of lay rescuer chest compressions with anovel audiovisual feedback device : A randomized trial.

Abstract

Bystander actions and skills determine among others the outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, the depth and rate of chest compressions (CC) are difficult to estimate for laypeople and poor CC quality may result. Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of anew feedback device on CC performance by laypeople. The percentage of CC with both correct rate and correct depth of all CC served as primary endpoint. Forty-eight subjects with no medical background performed 2min of CC on amanikin with and without anovel feedback device (TrueCPR™, Physio-Control, Redmond, Wash.). The device uses anovel, non-accelerometer-based technology. Participants were randomized into two groups. Group1 performed a2-min CC trial first with audiovisual feedback followed by atrial with no feedback information, while group2 performed the task in reverse order. The absolute percentage of CC with correct rate and depth was significantly higher with the use of the device (59± 34% vs. 15± 21%, p< 0.0001). The longest interval without correct CC was significantly decreased (76.5s vs. 27.5s, p< 0.0001). The quality of CC carried out by laypeople is significantly improved with the use of anew feedback device. The device may be useful for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by laypeople and for educational purposes.