Objective: The present study aims to investigate the utility of femoral pulse examination as a feedback mechanism to evaluate CPR effectiveness in non-traumatic cardiac arrest patients.
Materials and Methods: The cases that were brought to the emergency department (ED) as non-traumatic cardiac arrest were included in this study. They were separated into two groups as follows: return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and died patients. Then, the groups were compared concerning age, gender, initial rhythm, CPR duration, arrest site, the presence of comorbidities, how to go to the ED, and the detection of the femoral pulse during CPR. The logistic regression analysis was carried out to investigate the factors that associate with the ROSC rate.
Results: A total of 130 patients were included in this study, and 23 of them become spontaneous circulation after CPR in ED. No significant difference was determined between cases in ROSC and died, concerning age, gender, presence of comorbid status and the way to go to the ED (p>0.05). The number of patients in which the femoral pulse was detected during CPR, patients with in-hospital cardiac arrests, patients with shockable initial rhythm, and patients with short CPR durations were significantly higher in ROSC group (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed between the patients who died and survived by one-month of surveillance (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The detection of the femoral pulse during CPR may provide us with advice about the effectiveness of CPR in non-traumatic cardiac arrest patients.