This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Ronald W. Yakaitis, MD; Joseph S. Redding, MD
Medical University of South Carolina Charleston

JAMA. 1975;234(2):151-152.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

We would take exception to Dr Loeb's statement (232:845, 1975) that a forceful blow to the chest during asystole may restore cardiac action. The clinical reports describing this phenomenon are based on the use of multiple precordial thumps, much like, but more traumatic than, routine cardiac massage. As stated by Pennington et al¹ and confirmed in our laboratory,² a precordial thump is of no value for the reversal of cardiac asystole or ventricular fibrillation. The blow transmits only enough energy to occasionally convert ventricular tachyarrhythmias.

In addition, the precordial thumping of a hypoxic myocardium—whether active or still—may produce ventricular fibrillation,² a situation obviously irreversible in the absence of a defibrillator. The degree of hypoxemia required for this untoward event is variable, and clinical judgment in this regard is the poorest means of evaluation. Thumping, as an initial step in resuscitation, should be employed only in . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?