Mechanical Impedance Monitoring System Of The Patient'S Chest During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency treatment to maintain blood circulation in a patient with cardiac arrest. Because CPR can cause bone fracture and organ damage, rescue personnel must carefully observe patient's states. However, there is not an appropriate diagnostic method during CPR, since emergency situations make careful monitoring difficult or impossible. Because the characteristics of the chest and side effects of CPR are different for each patient, a mechanical impedance of the thoracic cavity was suggested as an index to estimate the changes of the thoracic cavity and whether complications occur. In addition, a system was developed to measure mechanical impedance with a load-cell and an accelerometer. From in-vitro experiment and animal experiment, the state of thoracic cavity could be estimated by using the magnitude of mechanical impedance. This study may contribute to the improvement of CPR quality and safety.