What Is the Correct Depth of Chest Compression for Infants and Children?
OBJECTIVE: For infant and child resuscitation, current basic life support guidelines recommend a compression depth of one third to one half of the anteroposterior chest diameter. This study was conducted to assess the actual compression depths in infants and children when current guidelines are strictly followed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Chest computed tomography scans of 36 infants (<1 year old) and 38 children (1–8 years old) were reviewed. Patient demographic data were collected from medical records. Measurements of the anteroposterior diameter from chest computed tomography scans were taken from the anterior skin at either the internipple line or the middle of the lower half of the sternum, perpendicular to the skin on the posterior thorax. RESULTS: In the infant group (25 boys, 11 girls), the mean age was 3.6 months. In the child-age group (21 boys, 17 girls), the mean age was 4.0 years. Compression depths were 3.4 to 5.1 cm in the infant group and 4.4 to 6.6 cm in the child group wh
