Ventilation volumes with different self-inflating bags with reference to the ERC guidelines for airway management: comparison of two compression techniques

The 1998 ERC-guidelines for airway-management recommend an tidal volume of 400-600 mi for adults undergoing CPR. As commercially available self-inflat ing bags were designed to meet former recommendations (800-1200 mi) we inve stigated how to meet the latest recommendations with these bags. We combine d the head of a training manikin (Laerdal Medical) and a standard lung (VTT L(TM); Michigan Instrument), adjusted to a physiological compliance and res istance. Volume was measured with a Wright spirometer (BOC). Seven self-inf lating bags were investigated. Tests were carried out by ten people (five f emale and five male) for 5 min each using two different techniques. Techniq ue 1. standard ventilation with one hand without compression of the self-in flating bag against the rescuers knee. Technique 2: modified open palm tech nique with total squeezing of the self-inflating bag by compression against the rescuers knee. The average tidal volumes for technique 1 ranged from 4 38 to 604 mi. Applying technique 2 the volumes ranged from 888 to 1192 mi. The latest recommendations were met using a single hand technique without c ompression against the rescuers knee for all seven bags tested. The modifie d open palm technique produced larger tidal volumes which were more in line with previous recommendations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.