Background: This simulation trial aimed to compare the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with and without the newly-developed CPR support application on smartphones.
Methods and results: In this trial, participants were randomly assigned to either the CPR support application group or the control group, stratified by sex and previous CPR training. Participants' CPR skills were evaluated by a 2-min case-based scenario test using the Leardal Resusci Anne PC Skill reporting Manikin System(®). The outcome measures were the proportion of chest compressions performed in each group and the number of total chest compressions and appropriate chest compressions performed during the 2-min test period. A total of 84 participants were enrolled and completed the protocol. All participants in the CPR support application group performed chest compressions, compared with only 31 (75.6%) in the control group (P<0.001). Among participants who performed chest compressions during the 2-min test period, the number of total chest compressions was significantly higher in the CPR support application group than in the control group (211.6±29.5 vs. 77.0±43.3, P<0.001). The number of appropriate chest compressions tended to be greater in the CPR support application group than in the control group, although it was statistically insignificant (30.3±57.3 vs. 17.2±28.7, P=0.246).
Conclusions: In this cohort of laypersons, the newly-developed CPR support application for smartphones contributed to increasing the implementation rate and the number of total chest compressions performed and may assist in improving the survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (UMIN000004740).