Association of electrocardiogram alterations of rescuers and performance during a simulated cardiac arrest: A prospective simulation study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) causes significant mental stress for rescuers, especially if performed by inexperienced individuals. Our aim was to study electrocardiogram (ECG) alterations in rescuers and its association with gender and CPR performance. METHODS:We included 126 medical students in this prospective, observational simulator study. Each student was equipped with a 3-lead continuous ECG device tracking the individual electrocardiographic output before, during and after CPR. We analyzed variations in heart rate, heart-rate variability (HRV) and ST- and T-wave morphology. RESULTS:Compared to baseline, mean heart rate (bpm) significantly increased during resuscitation and again decreased after resuscitation (from 87 to 97 to 80, p<0.001). Heart-rate

SUBMITTER: Tramer L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6001976 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature