Effects of patient height during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr) on upper limb muscle fatigue of the rescuer and cpr quality

Twenty-one CPR-certified participants performed six-minutes of CPR on a training manikin in four positions. Electromyography (EMG) of nine muscles, kinematics of the training manikin, and kinetic data at the hands of the rescuer were collected. There was no difference in the rate of decrease of chest compression (CC) force and depth over time across positions, however CC force and depth were significantly lower at waist height (WH), in almost all cases never reaching minimum CPR guidelines. Triceps Brachii (TB) produced the highest peak activations of all recorded muscles and showed evidence of fatigue for all CPR positions. Therefore, it is recommended rescuers attempt to rest the TB during ventilations, if performing CPR with two or more rescuers. Lastly, an exercise program should be prescribed to those predisposed to increased bouts of CPR.