Age, anxiety level may influence chest compression performance during CPR
A new study aimed to identify personal characteristics that may affect the performance of high-quality chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training by registered nurses. Feedback was given during the training, and code team sounds were introduced as an anxiety-inducing factor.
Despite established CPR training protocols, performance during real-life cardiac arrests can be suboptimal, and identifying personal characteristics that could influence performance could help address this practice-performance gap.
A total of 120 registered nurses with basic life support certification were randomized to training with no feedback and no code team sounds, training with feedback without code team sounds, or training with feedback with code team sounds. Chest compression sessions were evaluated at baseline, 30 days, and 60 days.
The effect of feedback on chest compression performance was dependent on other parameters such as age and time. The benefits of feedback were less among older participants and more beneficial with repetition. These interactions also affected the percentage of correct compression depth, and increased anxiety was associated with decreased correct compression depth.
Reference
Marks S, Shaffer L, Zehnder D, et al. Under pressure: What individual characteristics lead to performance of high-quality chest compressions during CPR practice sessions? Resusc Plus. 2023;14:100380. doi: 10.1016/j.resplu.2023.100380. PMID: 37035444; PMCID: PMC10074238.
