Be Ready with the Right Tools

What’s with all the CPR Manikin “Blue Rate Monitor” talk?

Recently the Emergency Cardiovascular Care guidelines for CPR changed to add a recommendation that “In adult victims of cardiac arrest, it is reasonable for rescuers to perform chest compressions at a rate of 100/min to 120/min.

As you might expect, this has raised a huge amount of discussion about compression rates and training aids.  Metronomes, for example, are set by the manufacturer to a predetermined rate.  No matter the metronome speed, students will only know that they are pressing slower, the same, or faster than the metronome rate.  So, if a metronome is set to 100 beats per minute, then students will know when they are pressing too slowly, but will not know for certain when they are pressing too quickly.  Conversely, if a metronome is set to 120, then students will know when they are pressing too quickly, but not know for certain when they are pressing too slowly.

The new Blue Rate Monitor available for Prestan Adult CPR Manikins is a training aid which takes this into account.  It displays different colors of lights according to how fast the student is performing compressions.  A compression rate of 0-59 per minute displays a red light, 60-79 per minute displays a yellow light (too slow), 80-99 displays a green light (almost fast enough), 100-119 displays TWO green lights (the proper rate), and anything more displays the two green lights PLUS flashes a yellow light (too fast).

Rate Chart

This system gives students instant feedback about their compression rate, adjusting to their compression speed in real time, so they know right away if their speed is slipping, or if they are starting to go a little fast.  Let’s see a metronome do that!

All adult Prestan CPR Manikins from MCR Medical are equipped with the new blue monitors.

But why are they called “Blue” if they don’t have blue lights?  The plastic housing of the new module was changed to blue to signify that it has the upgraded standards, so instructors know instantly if the rate monitor is new or old.  This is extremely helpful for instructors who may have both, or if renting or buying a Prestan manikin.