Charles D Deakin1, Jakob E Thomsen2, Bo Løfgren3, Graham W Petley4. 1. NIHR Southampton Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, UK. Electronic address: charlesdeakin@doctors.org.uk. 2. NIHR Southampton Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, UK; Research Center for Emergency Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. 3. Research Center for Emergency Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Internal Medicine, Regional Hospital of Randers, Randers, Denmark; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. 4. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Safe hands-on defibrillation (HOD) will allow uninterrupted chest compression during defibrillation and may improve resuscitation success. We tested the ability of electrical insulating gloves to protect the rescuer during HOD using a 'worst case' electrical scenario. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Leakage current flowing from the patient to the 'rescuer' during antero-lateral defibrillation of patients undergoing elective cardioversion was measured. The 'rescuer' maintained firm (20 kgf) contact with the patient during defibrillation, wearing Class 1 electrical insulating gloves while simulating an inadvertent contact with the patient, through an additional wired contact between 'rescuer' and patient. RESULTS: Data from 61 shocks from 43 different patients were recorded. The median leakage current from all defibrillations was 20.0 μA, (range: 2.0-38.5). In total, 18 of the shocks were delivered at 360 J and had a median leakage current of 27.0 μA (range: 14.3-38.5). CONCLUSION: When using Class 1 electrical insulating gloves for hands-on defibrillation, rescuer leakage current is significantly below the 1 mA safe threshold, allowing safe hands-on defibrillation if the rescuer makes only one other point of contact with the patient.
INTRODUCTION: Safe hands-on defibrillation (HOD) will allow uninterrupted chest compression during defibrillation and may improve resuscitation success. We tested the ability of electrical insulating gloves to protect the rescuer during HOD using a 'worst case' electrical scenario. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Leakage current flowing from the patient to the 'rescuer' during antero-lateral defibrillation of patients undergoing elective cardioversion was measured. The 'rescuer' maintained firm (20 kgf) contact with the patient during defibrillation, wearing Class 1 electrical insulating gloves while simulating an inadvertent contact with the patient, through an additional wired contact between 'rescuer' and patient. RESULTS: Data from 61 shocks from 43 different patients were recorded. The median leakage current from all defibrillations was 20.0 μA, (range: 2.0-38.5). In total, 18 of the shocks were delivered at 360 J and had a median leakage current of 27.0 μA (range: 14.3-38.5). CONCLUSION: When using Class 1 electrical insulating gloves for hands-on defibrillation, rescuer leakage current is significantly below the 1 mA safe threshold, allowing safe hands-on defibrillation if the rescuer makes only one other point of contact with the patient.
Authors: Chun Yue Francis Lee; Venkataraman Anantharaman; Swee Han Lim; Yih Yng Ng; Tek Siong Chee; Chong Meng Seet; Marcus Eng Hock Ong Journal: Singapore Med J Date: 2017-07 Impact factor: 1.858