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Airway & ventilation
Real-time feedback tidies BVM ventilation in arrest
Real-time feedback during bag-valve-mask ventilation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a before-and-after study (VEntilation during Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation Study, VECARS-2)
Resuscitation · 2026-10 · Added 22 October 2026
A Paris before-and-after study of 163 arrests found real-time feedback during bag-valve-mask ventilation improved insufflated-volume adherence (68% vs 42% of breaths in the 400–600 mL range) and cut leak volume by 12%, although expired tidal volumes were unchanged.
- Study type
- Cohort
- Design
- Before-and-after observational study
- Participants
- 4,300 ventilations in 163 adults with OHCA
- Main finding
- With feedback, insufflated volume fell within guideline range in 68% of ventilations vs 42%, dispersion dropped 35%, and leak volume was 12% lower (mean ratio 0.88); expired tidal volume was unchanged
- Caveat
- Before-and-after design without randomisation, single basic-life-support system, and no patient outcomes reported
- Bottom line
- Hypothesis-generating
Why it matters in Australia (High relevance). Bag-valve-mask ventilation during 30:2 CPR is standard practice on every Australian ambulance, so ventilation-quality feedback speaks directly to how crews are taught and audited.
Learning goal
Strengthen my ability to deliver consistent tidal volumes during bag-valve-mask ventilation in cardiac arrest.
More
- Topic: Airway & ventilation
- Daily scan: 22 October 2026
- Podcast: Paramedic Papers Daily, 22 October 2026
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