Pillow CPR

Learn Pillow CPR

The Story

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving skill that can be performed using your bare hands. Traditionally CPR training utilizes a manikin to practice this lifesaving skill. The problem is that training and future practice is often limited to those who have access to a manikin. Do you have access to a CPR training manikin? Most people don’t and even if they did at a CPR class, they don’t have one at home.

This is why we developed Pillow CPR. Most everyone has access to a pillow. Our research demonstrates that learning CPR on a pillow is as effective as learning on a manikin. Pillows are readily available for regular practice in order to keep your skills sharp. So watch the video, learn pillow CPR and remember practice regularly…on a pillow.

Steps for performing Hands-only CPR:

1. Make sure that the scene is safe
2. Tap and shout, Are you OK? Determine unresponsiveness
3. Look to see if there is breathing
4. If not responding and not breathing, CALL FOR HELP and begin CPR
5. Place the heel of one hand on the center of the chest, place your second hand on top of the first hand.
6. Push down hard and fast, push down at least 2 inches deep at a speed of 100-120 times per minute (about 2 compressions per second). Remember pushing down at least 2 inches deep is not easy – you need to push real hard.
7. Remember to let the chest recoil or re-expand between each compression to allow for the heart to refill (don’t bounce on the chest)
8. Switch with someone else every 2 min or sooner if you get tired
9. Keep pushing hard and fast until help arrives

The Science

Research Project 1 (Presented at the AHA RESS Conf 2018)

High quality chest compressions, as measured by depth and rate per minute, are an integral component of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). CPR compression skills are often taught on a high resource training device such as a manikin torso. Use of these manikin torso devices may be limited by availability and cost, reducing the number of individuals trained in CPR. We hypothesize that a bed pillow, a low resource device, is as effective as a manikin torso, a high resource device, in training college students to perform compression only CPR. Click here to see the research poster

Research Project 2 (Presented at the AHA RESS Conf 2019)

CPR training and regular skills practice is often limited by the availability of a high resource device such as a manikin torso. We investigated the knowledge gains and attitude changes in student participants of group hands-only CPR training (20-50 participants) using a low resource device, a bed pillow, to practice skills. Click here to see the research poster.