• Habib Kherbeche, Nicole Exer, Wolfram Schuhwerk, Wolfgang Ummenhofer, and Joseph Osterwalder.
• aPrivate Practice, Gossau SG bCentral Emergency Department cREA 2000 CRNA, CNE, REA 2000, Centre for Resuscitation and Simulation Training, Cantonal Hospital St Gallen, St Gallen dDepartment of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
• Eur J Emerg Med. 2017 Aug 1; 24 (4): 262-267.

ObjectiveMaintaining a chest compression depth of 5 cm or more as specified by resuscitation guidelines is difficult. Historical studies have shown an advantage of the foot method (FM) over the hand method (HM) in participants weighing less than 50 kg. Because of the fact that the importance of chest compression is increasing from guideline to guideline, the FM technique had not been evaluated conclusively and worldwide resuscitation is taught to school children, we investigated whether school children achieved a higher quality of chest compression with the FM than with the HM.MethodsA total of 105 school children, aged 12 to 15 years, were randomized to an FM or an HM resuscitation group. After a 3 min training video, 5 min of practice, and a 5 min latent time, the participants performed a 2 min sequence of chest compressions, which was recorded on a PC and evaluated later.ResultsThe mean percentage of correct chest compression depth (primary endpoint) was low in both groups (HM 45%, FM 47%, P=0.76). This was also found for those weighing less than 50 kg and at least 50 kg in both groups (FM 23%, HM 34%, P=0.2; FM 62%, HM 56%, P=0.57). However, the HM group was better in frequency (98 vs. 86% in FM, P=0.03) and complete decompression (99 vs. 91% in FM, P≤0.001).ConclusionThe FM of applying chest compression did not result in a more accurately delivered compression depth compared with the HM for children and adolescents, irrespective of body weight.

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