What does chest compression fraction (CCF) indicate?

Chest compression fraction (CCF) is a critical metric in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) that indicates the percentage of time that chest compressions are performed during a cardiac arrest event compared to the total time that the patient is in cardiac arrest. A higher CCF is associated with improved outcomes in resuscitation efforts because it shows a greater focus on providing effective blood flow through compressions, which is crucial for maintaining vital organ perfusion until advanced care can be provided.

In practice, the CCF is important for understanding the efficiency of CPR delivery. When rescuers take time away from compressions—such as during pulse checks or airway interventions—this can reduce the overall effectiveness of the resuscitation attempt. Therefore, maintaining a high CCF, ideally above 60% of the total arrest time, is a target for effective CPR.

The other options relate to different aspects of CPR and patient management but do not define what chest compression fraction specifically measures. Rescue breathing quality relates to the delivery of breaths, checking for a pulse pertains to assessing cardiac activity, and airway management effectiveness concerns ensuring an open airway. None of these directly reflect the timing and proportion of chest compressions performed during CPR, which is the essence of what CCF