SIMULTANEOUS ACTIVE COMPRESSION-DECOMPRESSION AND ABDOMINAL BINDING INCREASE CAROTID BLOOD-FLOW ADDITIVELY DURING CARDIOPULMONARY-RESUSCITATION (CPR) IN PIGS

The effects of adding active compression-decompression and abdominal b inding separately or combined to standard compression CPR was tested i n a randomized cross-over design during ventricular fibrillation in ei ght pigs. The flow and pressure effects of the two techniques appeared to be additive with no interference between the two. Carotid blood fl ow increased 22% with active compression-decompression, 34% with abdom inal binding and 59% with the combination compared to flow with standa rd compression. Peak antegrade carotid flow occured in early systole w ith retrograde flow in early diastole and close to zero in late diasto le with no profound alterations induced by active decompression or abd ominal binding. Abdominal binding increased the intrathoracic pressure during the compression phase as estimated from the esophageal pressur e, while active decompression caused a negative esophageal pressure du ring the decompression phase. Neither active decompression nor abdomin al binding caused any changes in the coronary perfusion pressure, nor in the left ventricular transmural pressure except for a rise in mid-d iastolic pressure with active decompression.