Two-Thumb Technique Is Superior to Two-Finger Technique in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation of Simulated Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Infants.

Background To compare the 2-finger and 2-thumb chest compression techniques on infant manikins in an out-of-hospital setting regarding efficiency of compressions, ventilation, and rescuer pain and fatigue. Methods and Results In a randomized crossover design, 78 medical students performed 2 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation with mouth-to-nose ventilation at a 30:2 rate on a Resusci Baby QCPR infant manikin (Laerdal, Stavanger, Norway), using a barrier device and the 2-finger and 2-thumb compression techniques. Frequency and depth of chest compressions, proper hand position, complete chest recoil at each compression, hands-off time, tidal volume, and number of ventilations were evaluated through manikin-embedded SkillReporting software. After the interventions, standard Likert questionnaires and analog scales for pain and fatigue were applied. The variables were compared by a paired t-test or Wilcoxon test as suitable. Seventy-eight students participated in the study and performed 156 complete interventions. The 2-thumb technique resulted in a greater depth of chest compressions (42 versus 39.7 mm; P<0.01), and a higher percentage of chest compressions with adequate depth (89.5% versus 77%; P<0.01). There were no differences in ventilatory parameters or hands-off time between techniques. Pain and fatigue scores were higher for the 2-finger technique (5.2 versus 1.8 and 3.8 versus 2.6, respectively; P<0.01). Conclusions In a simulation of out-of-hospital, single-rescuer infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the 2-thumb technique achieves better quality of chest compressions without interfering with ventilation and causes less rescuer pain and fatigue.

Early fluid overload was associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and more aggressive parameters in critically ill paediatric patients.

AIM: We evaluated the influence of early fluid overload on critically ill children admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit by examining mechanical ventilation (MV), mortality, length of stay and renal replacement therapy. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study covered January 2015 to December 2016 and focused on all episodes of MV support that exceeded 24 hours. The fluid overload percentage (FO%) was calculated daily for the first 72 hours and we estimated its effect on outcomes. RESULTS: We included 186 MV episodes in 154 patients. The median age was 13.8 months, with an interquartile range (IQR) of 3.8-34.0 months, and the mortality rate was 12.4%. The median FO% in the first 72 hours was 8.0% (IQR 3.6%-11.2%). An FO% of ≥10% was associated with higher ventilatory parameters, namely peak inspiratory pressure (P = .023) and positive end expiratory pressure (P = .003), and renal replacement therapy (P = .02) and higher mortality (8.8% vs 19.7%). In a multivariate Cox regression model, FO ≥ 10% at 72 hours was independently associated with longer MV support, but not mortality (P = .001). CONCLUSION: In a heterogeneous paediatric population given MV, an early cumulative FO of ≥10% was associated with more aggressive ventilatory parameters and prolonged length of MV, but not mortality.