In telephone-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR), protocols are used to help the bystander via standardized instructions. However, the requested compression depth is rarely achieved. This study was designed to investigate the effect of intensified wording and/or repetitive target depth instructions on compression depth. Methods: In this investigator-blinded, randomized, 4- armed, factorial study, 32 volunteers were requested to perform 10 minutes of compression only- CPR on a manikin. Participants were randomized either to standard wording ("push down 5cm"),...

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There is an on-going discussion on quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as related to guideline target values for chest compression depth. Deeper compression depth is generally understood to be more effective. Interestingly, the American Heart Association (AHA) guideline requests a compression depth of "at least 5cm" whereas the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) guideline requests "at least 5 cm, but not to exceed 6 cm". It is unknown which recommendation is more effective to achieve a correct compression depth. This study attempted to determine the...

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