Safety of mechanical chest compression devices in cardiac arrest: a randomised virtopsy study with the AutoPulse®

Safety of use of the AutoPulse®: a mechanical chest compression device in in-hospital cardiac arrest: a randomised virtopsy study to investigate the possible damage from chest compression administered by manual force compared with the AutoPulse® assessed blind by (post-mortem) computed tomography (CT) scanning

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN75393297

Enrollment

224

Registered

2009-09-11

Start date

2009-06-12

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2019-02-11

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Circulatory arrest Circulatory System Cardiac arrest

Interventions

Investigational treatment: chest compressions with AutoPulse® device Control treatment: manual chest compressions with audio-visual feedback from displacement sternum transducer

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Patients (aged 18 years or over, either sex) are included in the study when in circulatory arrest, requiring full cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, which is ongoing when the resuscitation team arrives with the study device.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Patients under 18 years of age 2. Trauma is the cause of circulatory arrest

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
CPR-related severe damage, defined as severe, life-threatening damage to a visceral organ in the chest or abdomen, but also including large vessels and vertebrae. Damage will be classified as primary endpoint by the data and safety committee, based on the available information, including (post-mortem) CT scans, autopsy, if performed, and clinical information in (initial) survivors. Assessment will be done after in-hospital death or at hospital discharge.	—

Measure

Time frame

CPR-related severe damage, defined as severe, life-threatening damage to a visceral organ in the chest or abdomen, but also including large vessels and vertebrae. Damage will be classified as primary endpoint by the data and safety committee, based on the available information, including (post-mortem) CT scans, autopsy, if performed, and clinical information in (initial) survivors. Assessment will be done after in-hospital death or at hospital discharge.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Damage to bony structures of the chest wall (sternum and ribs). Assessment will be done after in-hospital death or at hospital discharge.	—

Countries

Netherlands

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026