A new defibrillator mode to reduce chest compression interruptions for health care professionals and lay rescuers: a pilot study in manikins.

Background: Chest compression interruptions are detrimental during the resuscitation of cardiac arrest patients, especially immediately prior to shock delivery.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of use of a new defibrillator technology, which filters compression-induced artifact and provides reliable rhythm analysis with automatic defibrillator charging during chest compressions, on preshock chest compression interruption.

Methods: Thirty subjects (20 basic life support [BLS]; 10 advanced life support [ALS]) worked in pairs to perform two randomly ordered simulated cardiac resuscitations with the defibrillator operating in either standard mode (ALS = manual; BLS = automated external defibrillator [AED]) or the new Analysis and Charging during CPR (AC-CPR) mode.