The impact of alcohol use on the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among festival attendees: A prespecified analysis of a randomised trial.
Resuscitation · 2022-10-11 · Randomised trial
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cardiac arrests often occur in public places, but despite the undisputed impact of bystander CPR, it is debated whether one should act as a rescuer after alcohol consumption due to the perceived adverse effects. We provide the first objective data on the impact of alcohol levels on CPR-skills. METHODS: Pre-specified analysis of a randomised study at the Lowlands music festival (August 2019, the Netherlands) on virtual reality vs face-to-face CPR-training. Participants with an alcohol level ≥ 0.5‰ (WHO-endorsed cut-off for traffic participation) were eligible provided they successfully completed a tandem gait test. We studied alcohol levels (AL, ‰) in relation to CPR-quality (compression depth and rate) and CPR-scenario performance. RESULTS: Median age of the 352 participants was 26 (22-31) years, 56% were female, with n = 214 in Group 1 (AL = 0‰), n = 85 in Group 2 (AL = 0-0.5‰) and n = 53 in Group 3 (AL ≥ 0.5‰). There were no significant differences in CPR-quality (depth: 57 [49-59] vs 57 [51-60] vs 55 mm [47-59], p = 0.16; rate: 115 [104-121] vs 114 [106-122] vs 111 min-1 [95-120], p = 0.19). There were no significant correlations between alcohol level and compression depth (Spearman's rho -0.113, p = 0.19) or rate (Spearman's rho -0.073, p = 0.39). CPR-scenario performance scores (maximum 13) were not different between groups (12 (9-13) vs 12 (9-13) vs 11 (9-13), p = 0.80). CONCLUSION: In this study on festival attendees, we found no association between alcohol levels and CPR-quality or scenario performance shortly after training. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Lowlands Saves Lives is registered on https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov (NCT04013633).
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
Alcohol · Bystanders · Mass gatherings & events · Poisoning & substance use
Related articles
- A systematic review of interventions that impact alcohol and other drug-related harms in licensed entertainment settings and outdoor music festivals. (Harm Reduct J, 2024)
- Does the Presence of On-Site Medical Services at Outdoor Music Festivals Affect Attendees' Planned Alcohol and Recreational Drug Use? (Prehosp Disaster Med, 2021)
- Lifesaving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Pilot Evaluation of a Targeted Educational Intervention to Improve Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Provision in Volunteer Surf Lifesavers. (J Emerg Med, 2025)
- Impact of Patients Presenting with Alcohol and/or Drug Intoxication on In-Event Health Care Services at Mass-Gathering Events: An Integrative Literature Review. (Prehosp Disaster Med, 2018)
- Can Emergency Medical Services Utilization Rates Be Used to Measure the Success of An Alcohol Amnesty Policy? (Prehosp Emerg Care, 2021)
- The impact of street service care on frontline service utilisation during high-alcohol use hours in one night-time entertainment precinct in Australia. (Drug Alcohol Rev, 2020)