Abdominal compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a scoping review.
Magda Mileyde de Sousa Lima, Maria Aline Moreira Ximenes, Dariane Veríssimo de Araújo and 3 others
PMID 38018609WHAT IT FOUND
Some included studies reported higher return of spontaneous circulation with abdominal compressions during CPR.
Evidence varied, protocols were not standardized, and the technique requires trained personnel and is not routine.
Key findings
01Of the 13 included studies that described return of spontaneous circulation as the primary outcome, 9 reported significant improvement with abdominal compressions.
02Other included studies reported no significant difference in return of spontaneous circulation between abdominal-compression CPR and standard CPR.
03The review found several different abdominal compression protocols, including elevation plus compression, simultaneous chest and abdominal compression, and interposed abdominal compression.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a scoping review, not a meta-analysis, so it maps evidence but does not combine studies into a single effect estimate. The included studies used different abdominal compression protocols, hand positions, and compression force, so the technique is not standardized. Several included studies were small, old, or had limitations such as inability to blind rescuers, no neurological follow-up, and no autopsies in non-survivors. The review excluded articles not published in full, which may omit newer evidence.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that abdominal compressions during CPR improve survival or should replace standard CPR. This is a scoping review of mixed studies with no standardized protocol, and the technique is not adopted into routine resuscitation.