Prone CPR: A novel and cost-free solution to ensuring adequate chest compressions.

To the Editor,

Caring for patients in the prone position is not uncommon in operating theatres and intensive care units (ICUs). However, because of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, the prone position is being increasingly used for both critically ill sedated patients and less-sick spontaneously breathing patients. All of this will likely result in more prone cardiac arrests, posing a new challenge for healthcare workers. While conducting a scoping review of prone resuscitation, we discovered variation in how compressions were performed. We have highlighted four cases because they offer clinical insights, and because they helped us develop a solution: offered below and without cost.

Sun et al. described two neurosurgical cardiac arrests that received a reversed precordial compression manoeuvre, whereby a fist was placed under the inferior sternum while the other hand compressed the midthoracic spine. This was associated with sustained systolic pressures in the 120 mmHg range. Mazer et al. performed prone compressions on six ICU patients using two-hands compressing the T7-10 vertebrae, atop a 4.5 kg sandbag on a rigid board. Burki et al.’s case report described two prone compression methods using cushions for sternal counter-pressure: the first using one-hand on the midthoracic spine, the second using bilateral open palms between the scapula and thoracic spine. Finally, in a mannequin simulation, Atkinson used a gel pad beneath the patient's breastbone to offer sternal support during reverse compressions. The gel pad was produced after preliminary studies suggested that without sternal support it would be difficult to obtain successful compression depth, thereby resulting in poor quality prone compressions. The take home from these studies is that sternal counter-pressure and a hard surface are required.

In response, we have developed a prone cardiac arrest board with a sternal counter-pressure elevation. During development, our team performed and tracked the quality of 6600 compressions on a prone Laerdal Resusci Anne QCPR manikin. Adding the sternal counter-pressure increased the sternal depth of compressions from 2889 (44%) in the target range to 5541 (84%) (target range over 5 cm). Participant feedback also suggested that adequate compressions (i.e. those that achieved target depth) were less fatiguing with the rigid board and sternal ridge. This letter is to inform clinicians and provide free instructions on how to make your own prone CPR board, including 3D printing and computer numerical control instructions at: http://rescuescience.org/2020/05/08/prone-cpr-board-with-sternal-elevation/ (Fig. 1 ).

Fig. 1

The left image is our earliest wood prototype and the second is a digital rendering of our refined prototype, free for download and manufacture.

Conflicts of interest

None declared.