Diagnostic performance of a new multifunctional electrocardiograph during uninterrupted chest compressions in cardiac arrest patients.
BACKGROUND
External chest compression is considered to play a significant role in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but during a rhythm check, chest compressions must be discontinued to avoid artifacts. A new multifunctional electrocardiograph (ECG; Radarcirc) has been developed for use in clinical settings.


RESULTS
The performance of the Radarcirc and conventional ECG (CoECG) during CPR was compared in a single-center, non-randomized, sequential self-controlled study. CPR was performed on 41 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients. Cardiac rhythm with and without chest compressions during a rhythm check was measured using leads I and II. When the rhythm changed during CPR, it was measured as another waveform. Fifty ECG recordings were obtained, of which 27 were asystole, 18 pulseless electrical activity, and 5 ventricular fibrillation (VF). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) for VF was 0.448 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.274-0.622) for lead II of the CoECG, and 0.797 (95%CI 0.684-0.910) for lead II of the Radarcirc. The AUC for VF was 0.422 (95%CI 0.219-0.626) for lead I of the CoECG, and 0.987 (95%CI 0.975-1.00) for lead I of the Radarcirc.


CONCLUSIONS
Diagnoses based on the data from Radarcirc were more accurate in predicting rhythm during chest compressions than those based on data from the CoECG.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Critical Care Center, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. pcprj589@yahoo.co.jp
Genji
G
Shimpuku
Naoto
N
Morimura
Tetsuya
T
Sakamoto
Takaaki
T
Isshiki
Shinya
S
Nagata
Takahisa
T
Goto
D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods; D003625:Data Collection; D003935:Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular / Q000295:instrumentation; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D006336:Heart Massage / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012372:ROC Curve