RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Mechanism of closed chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation investigated by transoesophageal echocardiography.
JF Journal of Accident & Emergency Medicine
JO Arch Emerg Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
SP 139
OP 143
DO 10.1136/emj.11.3.139
VO 11
IS 3
A1 A C Pell
A1 U M Guly
A1 G R Sutherland
A1 D J Steedman
A1 P Bloomfield
A1 C Robertson
YR 1994
UL http://emj.bmj.com/content/11/3/139.abstract
AB Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) was performed during closed chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in 18 subjects in cardiac arrest. Compression of all four cardiac chambers resulted in forward flow in the pulmonary and systemic circulations, retrograde pulmonary vein flow and incomplete mitral valve closure. Antegrade pulmonary vein flow and left ventricular filling occurred exclusively during the relaxation phase. These findings support the cardiac pump theory of CPR and are incompatible with the thoracic pump mechanism. TOE merits further investigation as a device to monitor and guide resuscitation efforts during CPR.