Severe intra-abdominal injuries following the LUCAS chest compression system being applied for cardiopulmonary resuscitation

In this case report two patients, having severe intraabdominal injuries after cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR) with the LUCAS system, are presented. They bothunderwent surgical intervention. Severe intra-abdominalinjuries following manual CPR are rare, but little is knownabout the incidence of these injuries associated withmechanical CPR. We have reviewed the literature on clinicaloutcome and adverse events after out-of-hospital cardiacarrest with LUCAS CPR and manual CPR, and our conclusionis, that more research is needed to establish the safety ofmechanical chest compression systems.