In infant CPR with two rescuers, which hand configuration is used for chest compressions?

In infant CPR with two rescuers, which hand configuration is used for chest compressions?

• A. Two fingers in the center of the chest
• B. Use two thumbs on the center of the chest with encircling hands
• C. Use the heel of one hand on the chest
• D. Use one finger on the chest

Answer: (B)

When two rescuers are performing CPR on an infant, the most effective way to deliver chest compressions is with both thumbs on the center of the chest while the hands encircle the infant’s chest from around the sides to support the back. This two-thumb, encircling technique lets you press straight down to about one-third of the chest depth (roughly 1.5 inches or 4 cm) at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute, and it keeps the chest highly stable so depth is consistent even as both rescuers work. It also frees the second rescuer to provide breaths or other support without losing compression quality. Two fingers in the center of the chest is the technique typically used by a single rescuer, not the two-rescuer setup. The heel of one hand on the chest is an adult technique and is not appropriate for an infant, where the chest is small and delicate. One finger on the chest is not enough to deliver effective infant compressions.

When two rescuers are performing CPR on an infant, the most effective way to deliver chest compressions is with both thumbs on the center of the chest while the hands encircle the infant’s chest from around the sides to support the back. This two-thumb, encircling technique lets you press straight down to about one-third of the chest depth (roughly 1.5 inches or 4 cm) at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute, and it keeps the chest highly stable so depth is consistent even as both rescuers work. It also frees the second rescuer to provide breaths or other support without losing compression quality.

Two fingers in the center of the chest is the technique typically used by a single rescuer, not the two-rescuer setup. The heel of one hand on the chest is an adult technique and is not appropriate for an infant, where the chest is small and delicate. One finger on the chest is not enough to deliver effective infant compressions.