Augmentation of cardiac output and carotid blood flow by chest and abdomen phased compression cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Summary: Phased compression cardiopulmonary resuscitation, whereby the chest and abdomen are compressed sequentially, is a new approach to the classical cardiopulmonary resuscitation technique, which is based on the compression of the chest alone. Six dogs with cardiac arrest were treated by external chest and abdominal compression using a rigid plexiglas suit lined with flexible perithoracic and periabdominal bladders. Fast inflation and deflation of the two independent bladders, together with forced ventilation of the lung, generated phased pressure pulses. The physiological variables monitored throughout the experiment included central venous, left ventricular, and central arterial pressures, carotid blood flow, cardiac output, and acid base balance. The phased compression technique was performed with phased time lags of 0, 150, 300, 400, 600, 700, and 850 ms between the abdominal and thoracic pressure pulses. A random sequence of the different phased compression modes, each lasting for 3-10 minutes, was applied during the prolonged resuscitation procedure that lasted for up to 70 minutes. By starting the abdominal compression 300-400 ms before the thoracic compression the carotid flow index improved by 77% (from 13% with simultaneous compression to 23% with phased compression) and the cardiac output index increased by 65% (from 7.8% with simultaneous compression to 12.5%).The results provide insight into the chest pump concept and the role of intrathoracic and intra-abdominal pressures in generating improved blood circulation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and show the advantages of phased compression over chest compression alone and simultaneous chest and abdominal compression.