Cardiac Massage in Microgravity

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Cardiac Massage in Microgravity
Thais Russomano João de C. Castro Simon
Evetts Lisa Evetts John Ernsting
Microgravity Lab/PUCRS, Brazil Fundação
Ruben Berta, Brazil Kings College London, UK
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Objectives

• To test the feasibility and practicability of
  performing CPR in microgravity
• single person
• no equipment
• Access the victim
• Open the airway
• Perform mouth-to-mouth ventilation
• Perform external cardiac massage (ECM)

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ECM - New Technique

• The practitioner encircles the thorax of the
  victim with his legs in order to hold the patient
  close to him whilst compressing the patients
  chest between his hands and legs

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Cardiac Massage in Space
JSC/NASA - s 92 34279
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Cardiac Massage in Space
JSC/NASA - s 92 34275
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Cardiac Massage Preliminary Study
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Cardiac Massage during Parabolic Flight
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Method

• 29th ESA Parabolic Flight Campaign
• 3 subjects
• CPR manikin - Resusci Anne, Laerdal, UK
• European Resuscitation Council
• External Cardiac Massage
• Chest Compression 40 - 50 mm
• Compression rate 80 - 100 per min

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Cardiac Massage during Parabolic Flight
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Results

• Number of parabolas 93
• Number of chest compressions 672
• Chest Compression
• Mean /- SE
• Depth 36.1 /- 1 mm
• Rate 80.2 /- 3.2 per min

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Conclusion

• Chest compression rate and depth were close to
  those specified by the European Resuscitation
  Council
• The new single person technique of ECM can be
  performed efficiently in microgravity

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Further Studies

• To determine
• the maximum duration of ECM
• the feasibility of performing mouth-to-mouth
  ventilation
• minimum leg length required
• upper limb strength required
• Techniques to be used
• Body suspension studies
• Water immersion studies

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Further Studies

• Body suspension studies