Investigation of low back and shoulder demand during cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Limited research has examined the effect of different compression-ventilation ratios on the ergonomic demand of performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) over time. This study aimed to compare the biomechanical demand of performing continuous chest compression CPR (CCC-CPR) and standard CPR (30:2 compression to breath ratio). Fifteen CPR certified individuals performed both standard CPR and CCC-CPR, randomly assigned, for three 2-min periods. Trunk and upper limb muscle activation, lumbar spine posture and compression force applied to a testing mannequin chest were measured throughout each CPR trial. No differences in muscle activation of spine posture were observed, however chest compression force decreased over the two minutes (p < 0.0001). Further, this drop in force was larger and initiated immediately during the CCC-CPR trials. This immediate drop in force during the CCC-CPR trials may be an anticipatory adjustment in order to be able to sustain continuous compressions for the full 2 min duration.