STRENGTH TRAINING AND ITS CORRELATION TO ROSC

Abstract

Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating due to an irregular heart rhythm and breathing stops. In the United States, around 300,000 people experience cardiac arrest each year outside of the hospital. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a medical intervention that allows the heart to circulate blood throughout the body and potentially leads to the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Adequate compressions are better achieved through continual practice, higher BMI, and transition of health providers providing compressions. Studies measuring EMG of muscles found that the pectoralis, erector spinae, rectus abdominis, biceps femoris, and triceps brachii had the most activation during compressions. Professions such as firefighters who need to maintain a certain physical standard provided better compressions than untrained CPR individuals. Adequate compressions contribute to restoring a heartbeat, but there are many other factors involved in restoring a heartbeat including but not limited to shocking with an AED, administering medication, and transport to definitive care. It was found that enhanced muscular fitness is beneficial for prolonged and effective compressions, however, there is no conclusive evidence that strength training and maintenance of the primary muscles used for compressions is correlated to ROSC.