J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2014 Aug;25(4):349-355. 10.0000/jksem.2014.25.4.349.

Could One-Hand Compression for a Small Child Cause Intra-abdominal Injuries?

• Kim DA
• You YH
• Cho YC
• Ryu S
• Lee JW
• Kim SW
• Yoo IS
• Jeong WJ
• Min J
• Lee JS
• Min JH
• Park SS
• Yoon BG

• KMID: 2333890
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/jksem.2014.25.4.349

Abstract

PURPOSE
We examined the question of whether one-hand chest compression for a small child could compress intraabdominal organs.
METHODS
We retrospectively examined medical charts and multidirectional computed tomography (MDCT) images obtained from children aged 1 to 18 years who presented to the hospital from March 2002 to March 2012. We measured the length of the sternum (Stotal) and the length of the lower half of the sternum (Stotal/2~X). We also measured the distance from the diaphragm to the midpoint of the sternum (Stotal/2~D) and half the width of an adult hand (Wtotal/2). Finally, we counted the number of instances at each age in which Stotal/2~X and Stotal/2~D were less than Wtotal/2.
RESULTS
This study included records and MDCT images for 301 children with a mean age of 12.05+/-5.59 years. We also enrolled 47 adult rescuers (25 men, 53.2%) with a mean age of 23.20+/-2.13 years. The mean Wtotal/2 was 4.62+/-0.46 cm. All 1-year-old children had Stotal/2~X and Stotal/2~D less than Wtotal/2. Among children aged 2 years, six (60.0%) had Stotal/2~X and Stotal/2~D less than Wtotal/2. Among children aged 3 years, four (26.7%) had Stotal/2~X and Stotal/2~D less than Wtotal/2, and among those aged 4 years, two (13.3%) had Stotal/2~X and Stotal/2~D less than Wtotal/2. However, Stotal/2~X and Stotal/2~D were greater than Wtotal/2 in children aged 5 years or more.
CONCLUSION
Our measurements indicate that one-hand chest compression for a small child could cause intraabdominal organ injury.

Keyword

Child; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Compression

MeSH Terms

Adult
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Child*
Diaphragm
Hand
Humans
Male
Retrospective Studies
Sternum
Thorax