Systolic and mean arterial pressures during manual and mechanical CPR in humans.

The standard manual method of performing chest compression during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was compared with a pneumatic compression device for the ability to generate systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in the same person. Fifteen patients, all in the late stages of the resuscitative effort, were studied. In 14, manual chest compression resulted in SAPs which were either higher than (13 cases) or equivalent to (1 case) those generated by the mechanical technique. In 13 of the 15 cases, mechanical compression resulted in MAPs which were either higher than (11 cases) or equivalent to (2 cases) MAPs generated by the manual method. Mechanical chest compression is superior to manual chest compression in generating higher MAPs. Direct measurement of arterial pressure and the use of mechanical chest compression results in a more informed and a less frenetic environment during CPR.