Dikmen Çalışkan1, Fikret Bildik2, Mehmet Ali Aslaner2, İsa Kılıçaslan2, Ayfer Keleş2, Ahmet Demircan2

1Emergency Service, Antalya Kepez State Hospital, Antalya
2Department of Emergency, Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Keywords: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, chest compression, high‐quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation criteria, metronome

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Whether the use of metronome affects the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of metronome use on CPR quality.

METHODS: This was a prospective, simulation-based CPR manikin study. There were two phases: without and with metronome use. Chest compression was performed for 2 min, and three CPR quality criteria including chest compression depth, recoil, and rate were recorded with TrueCPR Feedback Device in both phases.

RESULTS: In all, 102 resident physicians were included. The achievement of optimal chest compression depth and complete recoil was better with metronome use than without (83% and 77% vs. 78% and 39%, P ≤ 0.001, respectively). Optimal chest compression rate was also reached with metronome use because the range of the compression rate was closer to the normal limits than those without metronome use (110 [interquartile range (IQR) 109–113] vs. 120 [IQR 109–129], P ≤ 0.001). Of all the participants, 70.6% stated that metronome use had a positive effect on their performance during the CPR application and 66.7% stated that they wished to use the metronome in their daily practice.

CONCLUSION: Using a metronome during simulation-based CPR improved the compression depth and recoil by fixing chest compression rate. We suggested that metronome should be used in CPR trainings of health-care professionals.

Ethics Committee Approval

The study was approved by Gazi University Ethics Committee (Approval date: 31.06.2017, Approval number: 06). Written informed consent was obtained from each participant before the study.

Author Contributions

D.Ç., F.B., and A.D. contributed to the conception and data collection and manuscript writing. M.A.A, İ.K., and A.K., contributed in statistical analysis and manuscript checking.

Conflict of Interest

None Declared.

Financial Disclosure

None