A pocket ‘CPR’ coach to save more lives from cardiac arrest

Pocket CPR-intelligent-feedback-technology to improve delivery of chest compressions

A cardiac arrest is when your heart suddenly stops pumping blood round your body. This can happen at any age. If someone’s heart stops beating, pushing hard and fast on the front of their chest can save their life. This is called cardiopulmonary resuscitation – CPR. But although it sounds simple, it can be difficult for first-aiders to know if they are giving the right amount of pressure and how often they should give compressions. Although there are some devices that help rescuers give chest compressions at correct rates and depths, these are limited because they do not adjust to the patient’s size and they can prevent rescuers being able to feel the up and down movements of the chest beneath their hands. This project aims to develop a portable, ‘pocket’ CPR-feedback-coach that will overcome these problems. The device being developed is thin, low-cost and can work out the best chest compression force for each individual patient, which means it could be used for children. To show that the device is safe and effective, Professor Mark Peters has joined forces with the world’s leading resuscitation research laboratory at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. If successful, the research will help get the device into trials with people, which means it could soon be helping those performing life-saving CPR.