Aortic-Valve Function during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Abstract

To the Editor: Cardiac output during standard manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is 30 to 60 percent of the normal value1. A study in animals2 demonstrated improved systemic blood flow and increased coronary perfusion pressure during active compression-decompression CPR. In humans, a significantly higher systolic arterial pressure has been measured during active compression-decompression CPR than during standard CPR3. The newer technique produces negative intrathoracic pressure during the decompression phase, thereby improving venous return and transmitral left ventricular filling1–3 [see Cohen et al. elsewhere in this issue]. In an adult patient undergoing prolonged CPR after nearly drowning, we monitored… © 1993, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.