Teaching Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation to Young Children (<12 Years Old)

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major public health concern. Research has shown that initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by lay bystanders increases survival rates. Evidence also shows that CPR training, delivered in various ways, is successful in a wide age range of children. This study was conducted to assess if children (average age of 12) were able to perform high quality chest compressions and whether this can be achieved by supplementing CPR instructional video with other methods to time delivery of compressions. A total of 160 study subjects were divided into 3 groups. The CPR instructional video was played for all 3 groups. One group (n = 53) was instructed to time their compressions with a popular music. Another group (n = 56) was assigned to a specially designed video game whereby they practiced how to time chest compressions. The control group (n = 51) consisted of those who only watched the video. Each group was divided in teams of 3 and observed for successful delivery of chest compressions on the little Anne Adult CPR training manikins. The control group performed a mean of 88 compressions per minute (CPM) out of which a mean of 72 clicks were appreciated. The music group performed 104 CPM with 74 clicks. Meanwhile, the video game group performed 102 CPM with 78 clicks. This study demonstrated sixth graders are capable of learning and performing effective hands only bystander CPR and this can and should be taught in schools even as young as the sixth grade level.