Hemodynamics of interposed abdominal compression during human cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Clinical studies of interposed abdominal compression CPR (IAC-CPR) have had diverse outcomes. This study compared the hemodynamics of standard CPR and IAC-CPR in humans.

A 24-month prospective nonrandomized analysis of hemodynamic parameters was performed in a convenience cohort of 20 adults who had out-of-hospital, nontraumatic, normothermic cardiac arrests. The study took place in the resuscitation unit of a large urban hospital. Thoracic aortic and right atrial catheters were inserted and pressures were recorded during standard CPR and IAC-CPR. Coronary perfusion pressures (CPPs) were determined during standard CPR and IAC-CPR. The patients were separated into two groups based upon their responses to IAC-CPR. Responders had increases in CPP during IAC-CPR; nonresponders had decreases or no change in CPP during IAC-CPR. Aortic relaxation, right atrial relaxation, aortic compression, and right atrial compression phase pressures were compared between the two groups.

CPPs increased in 13 patients and decreased in seven patients. The mean change in CPP with IAC-CPR was an increase of 5.8 +/- 15.1 torr. An elevated right atrial compression phase pressure (RaComp) during standard CPR was predictive of an increase in CPP during IAC-CPR (p = 0.047). In those patients who showed improvements in CPP during IAC-CPR, mean aortic relaxation phase pressures (AoRelax) increased by 9.5 +/- 14.2 torr (p = 0.026) and mean right atrial relaxation phase pressures (RaRelax) decreased by 2.6 +/- 6.2 torr (p = 0.099) during IAC-CPR.

The variable effects of IAC-CPR on CPP appear to be multifactorial. The improvement in CPP that occurred in responders to IAC-CPR was secondary to an increase in AoRelax as well as a decrease in RaRelax.