Chest compression (CPR) is best performed by people who have a higher body mass index (BMI).
A person’s fitness dictates the amount of times they can perform external chest compressions, according to a study.
It also reinforces European guidelines that recommend that people performing chest compression change every two minutes.
Chest compression tests
Researches in Germany compared levels of fitness to the ability to perform external chest compressions (ECC) correctly. The participants were 30 male and 10 female healthcare professionals who carried out two nine-minute sequences of ECC on a manikin.
Fitness and BMI affect chest compression ability
Those with higher body mass index (BMI) and higher levels of fitness were better at performing ECC and tired less quickly.
Fitness tests focussing on the upper body were more accurate in predicting the quality of ECC compared with standard fitness tests.
Compression depth began to decrease by three minutes for participants with lower BMI and lower fitness.
The women among the group. who on average had lower BMI than the men, tended to compress too shallowly and tire more quickly
Source: Nursing Standard 14 December 2011
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