Alternative techniques for cardiopulmonary resuscitation in extreme environments - A scoping review

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for saving lives during cardiac arrest, but performing CPR in extreme environments poses unique challenges. In scenarios ranging from hypogravity or microgravity to confined spaces like aeroplanes and underwater scenarios, traditional CPR techniques may be inadequate. This scoping review aims to identify alternative chest compression techniques, synthesise current knowledge, and pinpoint research gaps in resuscitation for cardiac arrest in extreme conditions.

PubMed and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials as well as the website of ResearchGate was searched to identify relevant literature. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they evaluated alternative chest compression techniques, including manual or mixed CPR approaches, whilst assessing feasibility and effectiveness based on compression depth, rate, and/or impact on rescuer effort.

The database search yielded 9499 references. After screening 26 studies covering 6 different extreme environments were included (hypogravity: 2; microgravity: 9, helicopter: 1, aeroplane: 1, confined space: 11; avalanche: 2). 13 alternative chest compression techniques were identified, all of which tested using manikins to simulate cardiac arrest scenarios.

To address the unique challenges in extreme environments, novel CPR techniques are emerging. However, evidence supporting their effectiveness remains limited.