Health & Well-Being: Infant CPR: Are thumbs better than fingers?
Health & Well-Being
Infant CPR: Are thumbs better than fingers?
For infants in cardiac arrest, the two-thumb infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) method works better than the two-finger method, according to three studies conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh. These findings are part of the new emergency cardiac care guidelines recently presented by the Dallas-based American Heart Association (AHA).
Prior to Aug. 15, 2000, the AHA recommended the two-finger chest compressions for infants in cardiac arrest. However, based on the University of Pittsburgh studies, the AHA now includes the two-thumb compression method as an acceptable alternative means of infant CPR in its new guidelines.
The two-thumb method works by placing both thumbs on the lower third of the infant’s sternum with the fingers cradled around the infant’s back and chest. A total of five compressions are done alternating with one breath of mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing. This technique works better because it combines simultaneous sternal compression with lateral compression, or squeezing of the chest, unlike the two-finger method, which uses only the sternal compression. The two-thumb method is also easier to perform because it causes less finger fatigue, according to the University of Pittsburgh studies.
The team’s studies concluded that the two-thumb method produced significantly higher systolic blood pressure, higher coronary perfusion pressure, and a higher sternal compression force than the two-finger method, thus increasing blood flow to the heart and body.
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