The optimal number of personnel for good quality of chest compressions: A prospective randomized parallel manikin trial

BACKGROUND: Long durational chest compression (CC) deteriorates cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality. The appropriate number of CC personnel for minimizing rescuer’s fatigue is mostly unknown. OBJECTIVE: We determined the optimal number of personnel needed for 30-min CPR in a rescue-team. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, manikin trial on healthcare providers. We divided them into Groups A to D according to the assigned different rest period to each group between the 2 min CCs. Groups A, B, C, and D performed CCs at 2, 4, 6, and 8 min rest period. All participants performed CCs for 30 min with a different rest period; participants allocated to Groups A, B, C, and D performed, eight, five, four, and three cycles, respectively. We compared a quality change of CCs among these groups to investigate how the assigned rest period affects the maintenance of CC quality during the 30-min CPR. RESULTS: This study involved 143 participants (male 58 [41%]; mean age, 24 years,) for the evaluation. As participants had less rest periods, the quality of their CCs such as sufficient depth ratio declined over 30-min CPR. A significant decrease in the sufficient CC depth ratio was observed in the second to the last cycle as compared to the first cycle. (median changes; A: −4%, B: −3%, C: 0%, and D: 0% p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: A 6 min rest period after 2 min CC is vital in order to sustain the quality of CC during a 30-min CPR cycle. At least four personnel may be needed to reduce rescuer's fatigue for a 30-min CPR cycle when the team consists of men and women.