Bystander mouth-to-mouth ventilation and regurgitation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether there is an association between bystander mouth-to-mouth ventilation and regurgitation in prehospital cardiac arrest patients.


METHODS
Prospectively conducted observational study.


METHODS
Data were collected from patients treated by the emergency medical service (EMS) systems in three middle-sized or large Finnish urban communities, the Tampere District EMS and the physician-staffed Helicopter EMSs in the Helsinki and Turku areas in southern Finland.


METHODS
The study population consisted of 529 consecutive prehospital cardiac arrest patients with attempted resuscitation. Exclusion criteria were cardiac arrest due to trauma or drug overdose.


METHODS
Regurgitation in prehospital cardiac arrest patients documented by EMS personnel on the scene.


RESULTS
Regurgitation occurred in a fourth of patients. Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with mouth-to-mouth ventilation was associated with a significantly increased risk of regurgitation compared with no CPR (P < 0.013) and CPR without ventilations (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The mode and role of bystander CPR in cardiac arrest needs to be further evaluated.
Virkkunen
I
I
Department of Anaesthesia, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland. ilkka.virkkunen@uta.fi
Kujala
S
S
Ryynänen
S
S
Vuori
A
A
Pettilä
V
V
Yli-Hankala
A
A
Silfvast
T
T
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D005392:First Aid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000209:etiology*; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis