Active Compression-Decompression CPR Plus an Impedance Threshold Device

Although conventional closed-chest manual CPR has been the standard of care for over 60 years,1 its limitations have resulted in new CPR techniques.2–6 Conventional, standard CPR provides only about 20–30% of normal blood flow to the heart and brain, which in many cases is insufficient to enable a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).7–10 In addition, it’s difficult to perform correctly and consistently.11–14 Over the past 25 years, a new method of CPR called “active compression-decompression (ACD) CPR plus an impedance threshold device (ITD)” has been developed as a superior alternative to standard CPR.15–19 ACD+ITD CPR has been tested in multiple animal20–24 and human studies,15–19 and it has been found to provide significantly higher rates of survival with favorable neurological function compared with standard CPR.15–24 ACD+ITD CPR is performed with tools that work synergistically to more than double the blood flow to the heart and brain vs. standard CPR.25,26 ACD+ITD CPR relies on a suction cup to actively lift the chest during the recoil phase5,6 and an ITD to impede air from rushing into the lungs during the recoil phase.2,3,27 This device combination lowers intrathoracic pressure during the CPR decompression phase, which in turn draws more venous blood back into the heart, refilling it more efficiently than is possible with standard CPR.3,4,18 Perhaps most importantly, during the active recoil phase, the biophysics of ACD+ITD CPR causes more v...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Cardiac & Resuscitation Top Story Exclusive Articles Patient Care Heart of America Source Type: news