Detection of spontaneous pulse using the acceleration signals acquired from CPR feedback sensor in a porcine model of cardiac arrest

Background Reliable detection of return of spontaneous circulation with minimal interruptions of chest compressions is part of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and routinely done by checking pulsation of carotid arteries. However, manual palpation was time-consuming and unreliable even if performed by expert clinicians. Therefore, automated accurate pulse detection with minimal interruptions of chest compression is highly desirable during cardiac arrest especially in out-of-hospital settings. Objective To investigate whether the acceleration (ACC) signals acquired from accelerometer-based CPR feedback sensor can be used to distinguish perfusing rhythm (PR) from pulseless electrical activity (PEA) in a porcine model of cardiac arrest. Methods Cardiac arrest was induced in 49 male adult pigs. ECG, arterial blood pressure (ABP) and ACC waveforms were simultaneously recorded during CPR. 3-second segments containing compression-free signals during chest compression pauses were extracted and only those segments with organized rhythm were used for analysis. PR was defined as systolic arterial pressure > 60 mmHg and pulse pressure > 10 mmHg, while PEA was defined as an organized rhythm that does not meet the above criteria for PR. Peak correlation coefficient (CCp) of the cross-correlation function between pre-processed ECG and ACC, was used to discriminate PR and PEA. Results 63 PR and 153 PEA were identified from the total of 1025 extracted segments. CCp was significantly higher for PR as compared to PEA (0.440 +/- 0.176 vs. 0.067 +/- 0.042, p<0.01) and highly correlated with ABP (r = 0.848, p<0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 0.965, 93.6%, 97.5% and 96.7% for the ACC-based automatic spontaneous pulse detection. Conclusions In this animal model, the ACC signals acquired from an accelerometer-based CPR feedback sensor can be used to detect the presence of spontaneous pulse with high accuracy.