Can training result in chest compressions that are closer to the ideal rate?
Edelson: If you train people to deliver the proper rate of compressions, it can be done. Almost 100 percent of people deliver the proper depth post-training. There were a couple of scientific papers that came out a few years ago that found EMS chest compressions were not being delivered about 50 percent of the time, even when they accounted for legitimate reasons to have the responder’s hands off of the chest. The assumption was that CPR performance is better in the hospital. However, in a mannequin simulation, when the providers tried to adhere to the guidelines, they spent more time off the chest than on the chest. As important as CPR is to survival, defibrillation is also important because longer interruptions between CPR and defibrillation decrease survival rates. The good thing is that the survey showed that 93 percent of the respondents understood that the amount of hands-off time is something that should be minimized. Q: Regarding the survey findings, is it the reality that a lo
