Purpose of the study: the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (Q-CPR) manoeuvres has been assessed during the GIC courses hosted by the Italian Resuscitation Council (IRC). The aim was to evaluated CPR quality among the IRC instructors candidate. 

Materials and methods: the study was performed in participants to 4 GIC courses hosted at the IRC headquarter in Bologna, Italy. Basic life support (BLS) training stations were equipped with QCPR mannequin (Resusci Anne, Laerdal Medical, Stavanger, Norway) and a laptop to acquire QCPR data. Participants performed 2 cycles of 2 min CPR with a 30 chest compressions:2 ventilations ratio. The first cycle was without quality feedback (NO-FB), while the second was with the feedback (FB). An interval of 2-3 min was interposed between cycles to allow for fatigue release.

Results: A total of 43 course participants of 37±9 age were tested. Sixty three percent were male and the average body weight was 74±14 kg. Ten were doctors, while 33 were nurses. Overall, CPR manoeuvres were of good quality in 71%±12 of instances in the NO-FB group and increased to 79%±10 (p<0.01) in the FB one. This difference was mainly related to an increase of CC depth of 2 cm, a reduction of the hands-off time of 3 sec, and a concurrent 10% improvement in correct chest recoil (Table 1). Ventilation pattern were equivalent in both groups. 

Conclusions: The overall Q-CPR was already good in the participants to GIC courses. Nevertheless, the addition of a FB help contributed to ameliorate the single aspects of CPR manoeuvres leading to a further significant improvement in the overall quality. 

Reference:  Abella BS. High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation: current and future directions. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2016 Jun;22(3):218-24.

Acknowledgment: Thanks to all the GIC participants and IRC GIC instructors and educators to support this study

Assessment of Quality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation during GIC (General Instructor Course) courses