Comparison of Quality in Chest Compressions at Scene, in a Moving Ambulance by Student Nurses, the 119 Member Group, and an Automatic CPR Machine

Choi,  Yong Jun; Park,  Dae Sung; Lee,  Won Suk; Ha,  Won Sun; Jung,  Jun Young; Yun,  Young Hyun

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 20(4); 2009 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2009;20(4): 335-342.

Comparison of Quality in Chest Compressions at Scene, in a Moving Ambulance by Student Nurses, the 119 Member Group, and an Automatic CPR Machine

Yong Jun Choi, Dae Sung Park, Won Suk Lee, Won Sun Ha, Jun Young Jung, Young Hyun Yun

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea. epyun@dau.ac.kr
²Department of EMT, Gwangju Health College University. Gwangju, Korea.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE:
In an emergency, the quality of CPR prior to hospital arrival is a very important component for the survival of victims. We want to know differences in chest compression quality performed by groups that have variant experiences of CPR, and automatic CPR machine on the floor, or in an ambulance moving at 40 km/hr, or at 80 km/hr.
METHODS:
We analysed the chest compression quality of each group, and that performed on the floor, in an ambulance moving as 40 km/hr, and at 80 km/hr. We measured the following factors: mean compression depth; mean compression rate; exact performance percentile; and the compression error through too deep, too weak, wrong compression location, and no full recoil.
RESULTS:
In the student-nurse group, the quality of chest compression performed on the floor was better than that performed in a moving ambulance. In 119 member group, chest compression performed in an ambulance moving as 40 km/hr was better than that performed in an ambulance moving at 80 km/hr. The use of an automatic CPR machine, there were no differences in chest compression quality in all circumstances. In comparing each group, compression quality of the 119 member group and the automatic CPR machine group was better than that of the student nurses.
CONCLUSION:
In the group with real CPR experience, there were no differences between chest compression performed on the floor and that performed moving at 40 km/hr. Chest compression performed moving as 40 km/hr is better than that performed moving at 80km/hr. In the group without CPR experience, chest compression performed on the floor is better than that performed in a moving ambulance.

Key words: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Transportation of patients, Ambulance, Chest compression