Cardiopulmonary resuscitation with interposed abdominal compression in dogs.

This study was conducted to evaluate the hemodynamic effectiveness of a new modification of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), termed interposed abdominal compression-CPR (IAC-CPR). IAC-CPR utilizes all the steps of standard CPR with the addition of abdominal compressions interposed during the release phase of chest compression. Ventricular fibrillation was induced electrically in 10 anesthetized dogs, and either IAC-CPR or standard CPR was initiated while arterial and venous blood pressures and cardiac output were monitored. The two CPR methods were alternated every 3 minutes over a period of 30 minutes. The addition of interposed abdominal compressions to standard CPR improved arterial pressures and perfusion in 10 of 10 dogs. Brachial arterial blood pressure averaged 87/32 mm Hg during IAC-CPR vs 58/16 mm Hg during standard CPR. Cardiac output (+/- SE) averaged 24.2 +/- 5.7 ml/min/kg during IAC-CPR vs 13.8 +/- 2.6 ml/min/kg during standard CPR. IAC-SPR requires no extra mechanical equipment, and, if proven effective in human trials, may improve resuscitation success in the field and in the hospital.