• Roberto Barcala-Furelos, Eloy Carracedo-Rodríguez, Miguel Lorenzo-Martínez, Alejandra Alonso-Calvete, Martín Otero-Agra, and Cristina Jorge-Soto.
• REMOSS Research Group, Universidade de Vigo, Campus A Xunqueira s/n, 36005 Pontevedra, Spain.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2023 Aug 1; 70: 707470-74.

IntroductionDrowning is a public health problem. Interrupting the drowning process as soon as possible and starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can improve survival rates. Inflatable rescue boats (IRBs) are widely used worldwide to rescue drowning victims. Performing CPR in special circumstances requires adjusting the position based on the environment and space available. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of over-the-head resuscitation performed by rescuers aboard an IRB in comparison to standard CPR.MethodsA quasi-experimental, quantitative, cross-sectional pilot study was conducted. Ten professional rescuers performed 1 min of simulated CPR on a QCPR Resuscy Anne manikin (Laerdal, Norway) sailing at 20 knots using two different techniques: 1) standard CPR (S-CPR) and 2) over-the-head CPR (OTH-CPR). Data were recorded through the APP QCPR Training (Laerdal, Norway).ResultsThe quality of CPR was similar between S-CPR (61%) and OTH-CPR (66%), with no statistically significant differences (p = 0.585). Both the percentage of compressions and the percentage of correct ventilations did not show significant differences (p > 0.05) between the techniques.ConclusionThe rescuers can perform CPR maneuvers with acceptable quality in the IRB. The OTH-CPR technique did not show inferiority compared to S-CPR, making it a viable alternative when boat space or rescue conditions do not allow the conventional technique to be performed.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

11 keywords...

hide…