Key result
Slow-paced breathing before simulated pediatric arrest fails to improve CPR performance or recall versus video.
Why the study?
Pediatric resuscitation is a significant stressor that may impair performance, but there is limited data on vagal activation and performance in medical settings.
Does 3 minutes of slow-paced breathing improve CPR performance in paramedic students and medics during a simulated pediatric CPR scenario?
RCT (n=57)
online randomizer
Yes
Does 3 minutes of slow-paced breathing improve CPR performance in paramedic students and medics during a simulated pediatric CPR scenario?
Effect estimate: Cohen's d 0.062
Absolute Event Rate: 5.03% vs 4.96%
p-value: p=0.815
While baseline heart rate variability predicts better pediatric CPR performance in a simulation, a short-term slow-paced breathing intervention does not improve performance.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
No support for pre-CPR slow breathing in trainees; challenges acute HRV-modulation efficacy despite baseline performance links.
Kula et al. (2025) conducted an RCT in Simulated pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (n=57). Slow-paced breathing vs. Educational video was evaluated on Information recall score (Cohen's d 0.062, p=0.815). Three minutes of slow-paced breathing prior to a simulated pediatric cardiac arrest scenario did not significantly improve CPR performance or information recall compared to an educational video.
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