Chest Compressions Just as Effective as Defibrillators in Cardiac Arrest

Chest compressions are as effective as defibrillation for patients who suffer from cardiac arrest

Chest compressions are as effective as defibrillation for patients who suffer from cardiac arrest outside the hospital, according to a new study.

Only eight percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in the United States survive.

But a comparison of chest compressions and defibrillation, two life-saving techniques to revive the heart, found that compressions are as effective than the electrical shock given by a defibrillator to return the heart to its normal rhythm. The current medical standard of cardiac arrest resuscitation is through defibrillation.

The study, led by Dr. Pascal Meier, interventional cardiologist at the University of Michigan Health System, compared survival rates among 1,500 subjects who had received chest compressions from paramedics for 90 seconds before being defibrillated.

“What we wanted to test is whether it would be better to start first with good quality chest compressions to prepare the heart for this electrical shock to get some blood circulation to the brain and heart before we apply the shock,” Meier said.

The survival rate for those given compressions was the same compared to those who were given defibrillation immediately per current protocol.

But researchers found that there was a small edge in long-term survival after a year for those who were given compressions before defibrillation, which often happens because EMS personnel may take time to arrive at the scene.

“For people with longer-duration cardiac arrest, it really helps to start these good quality chest compressions,” Dr. Meier said.

Meier recommends that bystanders should administer compressions to the victim promptly while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive.

Posted by George Daniels on Sunday September 12 2010, 9:33 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0