Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Mar 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialMorbid obesity impairs adequacy of thoracic compressions in a simulation-based model.
Adequate cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an important predictor of survival, however, obesity provides a significant physical barrier to thoracic compressions. This study explores the effect of morbid obesity on compression adequacy. We performed a prospective randomised controlled crossover study, assessing the adequacy of thoracic compressions on a manikin modified to emulate a morbidly obese patient. ⋯ Participants were not fully aware of how ineffective compressions were. There is evidence of earlier fatigue further reducing effectiveness. These findings have significant implications for the training of rescuers in a clinically relevant population and the planning of future research.