Evaluation of upper body muscle activity during cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance in simulated microgravity

• Published in: Advances in space research 2013-09, Vol.52 (5), p.971-978
• Main Authors: Waye, A.B., Krygiel, R.G., Susin, T.B., Baptista, R., Rehnberg, L., Heidner, G.S., de Campos, F., Falcão, F.P., Russomano, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Electromyography; Simulated microgravity
• ISSN: 0273-1177; 1879-1948
• DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2013.05.028

Performance of efficient single-person cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is vital to maintain cardiac and cerebral perfusion during the 2–4min it takes for deployment of advanced life support during a space mission. The aim of the present study was to investigate potential differences in upper body muscle activity during CPR performance at terrestrial gravity (+1Gz) and in simulated microgravity (μG). Muscle activity of the triceps brachii, erector spinae, rectus abdominis and pectoralis major was measured via superficial electromyography in 20 healthy male volunteers. Four sets of 30 external chest compressions (ECCs) were performed on a mannequin. Microgravity was simulated using a body suspension device and harness; the Evetts–Russomano (ER) method was adopted for CPR performance in simulated microgravity. Heart rate and perceived exertion via Borg scores were also measured. While a significantly lower depth of ECCs was observed in simulated microgravity, compared with +1Gz, it was still within the target range of 40–50mm. There was a 7.7% decrease of the mean (±SEM) ECC depth from 48±0.3mm at +1Gz, to 44.3±0.5mm during microgravity simulation (p