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Nighttime Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Evaluating Feasibility and Quality in Low-Light and Headlamp Conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2025

Silvia Aranda-García Open the ORCID record for Silvia Aranda-García [Opens in a new window] ,
Roberto Barcala-Furelos ,
María Fernández-Méndez Open the ORCID record for María Fernández-Méndez [Opens in a new window] ,
Martín Otero-Agra ,
Silvia San Román-Mata ,
Martín Barcala-Furelos  and
Santiago Martínez-Isasi
Silvia Aranda-García
Affiliation:
GRAFAIS Research Group, Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya (INEFC), University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain Faculty of Health, University Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain
Roberto Barcala-Furelos
Affiliation:
REMOSS Research Group, Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
María Fernández-Méndez*
Affiliation:
REMOSS Research Group, Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain School of Nursing of Pontevedra, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
Martín Otero-Agra
Affiliation:
REMOSS Research Group, Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain School of Nursing of Pontevedra, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
Silvia San Román-Mata
Affiliation:
REMOSS Research Group, Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain Unit of Excellence, Faculty of Health Sciences, Melilla Campus, University of Granada, Melilla, Spain
Martín Barcala-Furelos
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain
Santiago Martínez-Isasi
Affiliation:
CLINURSID Research Group. University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Life Support and Medical Simulation Research Group (SICRUS), Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain Faculty of Nursing, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
*
María Fernández-Méndez, RN, PhD School of Nursing, Pontevedra University of Vigo C/Joaquín Costa 41 36004 Pontevedra, Spain E-mail: maria.jose.fernandez.mendez@uvigo.gal
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Abstract

Background:

The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) establishes guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) under standard conditions and special circumstances but without specific instructions for nighttime situations with reduced visibility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of performing CPR at night under two different conditions, in darkness with ambient light and with the additional illumination of a headlamp, as well as to determine the quality of the maneuver.

Methods:

A crossover, randomized pilot study involving nineteen lifeguards was conducted, with each participant performing two five-minute CPR tests: complete darkness with headlamp and natural night environment at the beach without additional lighting. Both tests were conducted with a 30:2 ratio of chest compression (CC) to ventilations using mouth-to-pocket mask technique in the darkness of the night with a 30-minute break between them. Outcome measures included quality of CPR, number of CCs, mean depth of CCs, mean rate of CCs, and number of effective ventilations. Results were reported as the mean or median difference (MD) between the two groups with 95% confidence interval (CI) using techniques for paired data.

Results:

There were no statistically significant differences between the two lighting conditions for the outcomes of CPR quality, mean depth of CCs, or number of effective ventilations. The number of CCs was lower when performed without the headlamp (MD: -8; 95%CI, -15 to 0). In addition, the mean rate of CCs was lower when performed without the headlamp (MD: -3; 95%CI, -5 to -1).

Conclusions:

The rescuers performed CPR at night with good quality, both in darkness and with the illumination of a headlamp. The use of additional lighting with a headlamp does not appear to be essential for conducting resuscitation.

Keywords

cardiopulmonary resuscitationdarknesslifeguardsimulation
Type
Innovation Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , First View , pp. 1 - 6
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

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