Two-thumb technique is superior to two-finger technique during lone rescuer infant manikin CPR.
OBJECTIVE
Infant CPR guidelines recommend two-finger chest compression with a lone rescuer and two-thumb with two rescuers. Two-thumb provides better chest compression but is perceived to be associated with increased ventilation hands-off time. We hypothesized that lone rescuer two-thumb CPR is associated with increased ventilation cycle time, decreased ventilation quality and fewer chest compressions compared to two-finger CPR in an infant manikin model.


METHODS
Crossover observational study randomizing 34 healthcare providers to perform 2 min CPR at a compression rate of 100 min(-1) using a 30:2 compression:ventilation ratio comparing two-thumb vs. two-finger techniques.


METHODS
A Laerdal Baby ALS Trainer manikin was modified to digitally record compression rate, compression depth and compression pressure and ventilation cycle time (two mouth-to-mouth breaths). Manikin chest rise with breaths was video recorded and later reviewed by two blinded CPR instructors for percent effective breaths. Data (mean+/-SD) were analyzed using a two-tailed paired t-test. Significance was defined qualitatively as p< or =0.05.


RESULTS
Mean % effective breaths were 90+/-18.6% in two-thumb and 88.9+/-21.1% in two-finger, p=0.65. Mean time (s) to deliver two mouth-to-mouth breaths was 7.6+/-1.6 in two-thumb and 7.0+/-1.5 in two-finger, p<0.0001. Mean delivered compressions per minute were 87+/-11 in two-thumb and 92+/-12 in two-finger, p=0.0005. Two-thumb resulted in significantly higher compression depth and compression pressure compared to the two-finger technique.


CONCLUSIONS
Healthcare providers required 0.6s longer time to deliver two breaths during two-thumb lone rescuer infant CPR, but there was no significant difference in percent effective breaths delivered between the two techniques. Two-thumb CPR had 4 fewer delivered compressions per minute, which may be offset by far more effective compression depth and compression pressure compared to two-finger technique.
Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Sharda
S
Udassi
Jai P
JP
Udassi
Melissa A
MA
Lamb
Douglas W
DW
Theriaque
Jonathan J
JJ
Shuster
Arno L
AL
Zaritsky
Ikram U
IU
Haque
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008348:Manikins; D008875:Middle Aged; D012119:Respiration; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013933:Thumb; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult