J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2015 Apr;26(2):122-128. 10.0000/jksem.2015.26.2.122.

Effects of Counting Chest Compressions on the Performance of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Prospective Randomized Pilot Study Using Manikin Simulation Trial

• Oh JH
• Kim SE
• Kim CW
• Lee DH

• KMID: 2191793
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/jksem.2015.26.2.122

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study compared the effects of counting chest compressions verbally and silently on the performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
METHODS
Forty-six medical students were enrolled in this study. After the participants performed a two-min CPR (Test 1), during which they counted each compression silently, they were divided randomly into Groups A and B. After a 30-min rest, the participants took Test 2. In Test 2, Group A performed two-min CPR, during which the participants counted the number of chest compressions verbally (Test 2A), and in Group B, CPR was performed using the same methods as detailed for Test 1 (i.e., with silent enumeration; Test 2B). Each student counted the number of chest compressions aloud from one to 30 in Test 2A.
RESULTS
No significant differences were observed for either test (Tests 1 and 2) between Groups A and B. Although the mean compression rate (MCR) was increased significantly from 107.2+/-15.4 to 116.3+/-15.9/min between Tests 1 and 2B in Group B (p<0.01), a similar result was also obtained in Group A. In the individual interviews conducted with the Group A participants, all members reported having difficulty breathing while counting the number of chest compressions verbally when compared with silent enumeration.
CONCLUSION
Tallying the numbers of chest compressions verbally did not significantly alter the performance of CPR.

Keyword

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Voice

MeSH Terms

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation*
Humans
Manikins*
Pilot Projects*
Prospective Studies*
Respiration
Students, Medical
Thorax*
Voice