Practical examination of bystanders performing Basic Life Support in Germany: a prospective manikin study

The "LSM course" was carried out in a standardised manner. We tested prospectively 100 participants in two groups (Group 1: Participants with previous attendance of a BLS course; Group 2: Participants with no previous attendance of a BLS course) in their practical abilities in BLS after the course. Success parameter was the correct performance of BLS in accordance with the current ERC guidelines.Twenty-two (22%) of the 100 investigated participants obtained satisfactory results in the practical performance of BLS. Participants with repeated participation in BLS obtained significantly better results (Group 1: 32.7% vs. Group 2: 10.4%; p < 0.01) than course participants with no relevant previous knowledge.Only 22% of the investigated participants at the end of a "LSM course" were able to perform BLS satisfactorily according to the ERC guidelines. Participants who had previously attended comparable courses obtained significantly better results in the practical test. Through regular repetitions it seems to be possible to achieve, at least on the manikin, an improvement of the results in bystander resuscitation and, consequently, a better patient outcome. To validate this hypothesis further investigations are recommended by specialised societies.Basic Life Support (BLS) by lay people has a special importance in the care of emergency patients. First aid and BLS are in the first three links of the chain of rescue [1,2]. Even the internationally recognised "chain of survival" includes two, in the presence of an automated defibrillator even three, of four links that have to be performed by lay people [3]. Therefore, lay help during cardiac arrest is one of the requirements for a successful resuscitation of a patient in terms of a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) [4-9]. However, lay people can only play their role within the chain of survival if they are adequately trained and if continuous repetitions of relevant training contents are offered and used [8,9].Strengthe