Depth of chest compressions

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a first aid knowledge that each of us should master, because there are always some unexpected situations in life. If everyone can master the knowledge of cardiac resuscitation, many unexpected situations can be avoided. When looking for compression, there is also a depth. In the process of making money today, you need to master the rules of compression. So what is the depth of chest compression?

According to the requirements of the currently used 2010 edition of the Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care, when performing manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation on adults, the depth of external chest compressions should be at least 5 cm. Note that it is at least 5 cm, not the 5 cm in the original 2005 guidelines.

The current guidelines have placed an unprecedented emphasis on chest compressions, with compressions being placed first in the sequence. In cardiopulmonary resuscitation operations, artificial respiration has been repeatedly weakened, while rapid and forceful compressions (at least 100 times per minute and a depth of at least 5 cm) have been emphasized. In extreme cases, chest compressions without artificial respiration are even allowed (i.e., if you do not want to do artificial respiration, you can do Hands-only CPR).

The standard for chest compression in Europe and the United States is 5 to 6 centimeters. The Chinese body is not as big as that of Europeans and Americans, so the compression depth cannot be that deep. Especially for the elderly, the patient's sternum is relatively fragile, so the first time you press, it is recommended not to press too deep, but also not too shallow, otherwise it will not be effective. Generally, Chinese people only need to press about 5 cm deep.

It has been recognized that the quality, frequency and timeliness of CPR are crucial to the survival of cardiac arrest patients. Related research directions mainly include: the impact of the percentage of each resuscitation time on the outcome of OHCA patients; prolonged pause in resuscitation before or around shock can reduce the patient's survival rate; the impact of chest compression frequency on the recovery of spontaneous circulation.

In addition, chest compression depth is also a less-researched area of ​​research in CPR. Recommendations regarding compression rate and depth in recent CPR guidelines are not supported by strong evidence. The 2005 guidelines recommended a compression depth of 3.8-5.0 cm; the 2010 guidelines recommended a minimum of 5.0 cm (2 inches) and did not specify an upper limit.