Lesson
Pit-Crew CPR Choreography
Objective: Assign roles out loud so high-quality CPR actually happens on a two-person truck.
Why This Is Hard
Three people kneel at the chest and nobody bags. AHA 2025: high-quality CPR is the intervention. Choreography is how a tiny crew delivers it.
On this truck
- Two-person: compressor and airway/defib rotate. Say the switch before the two-minute mark.
- Pads on without stopping compressions. Charge during compressions if your device and protocol allow.
- One person talks: “compressing, charging, clear, shock, resume.”
Field Rules (Education)
- AHA 2025 BLS/ALS: rate 100–120, depth at least 5 cm, full recoil, pauses under 10 seconds, switch about every 2 minutes.
- Airway person also runs the defibrillator if you are two. Do not both hover at the screen.
- Mechanical CPR is a logistics tool (moving, tiny crew) — not automatically better. Routine use is not recommended.
- Pit-crew is a teaching name for roles, not a brand. Your SOP may use different labels.
Field Pitfalls
- All three at the monitor during a pause.
- One compressor for the whole code.
- Stopping CPR to debate the strip.
Practice
60-second drill
You and one partner, VF arrest. Assign roles for the first two minutes including who charges.
Related: High-Quality CPR, Shockable arrest.
Sources & Further Study
Named guidelines for further study. They are not clinical orders and do not replace your protocol or medical direction.
- NASEMSO National Model EMS Clinical Guidelines (2022) — U.S. EMS model language; protocol still wins
- AHA 2025 Part 7: Adult BLS — high-quality CPR components; mechanical CPR not routine
- AHA 2025 Part 9: Adult ALS — minimize peri-shock pauses
Education only. Apply learning within your protocols and medical direction. This is not clinical care guidance.
Check Your Understanding
Street decisions from this lesson only. After you check, the key is highlighted. Education practice — not a certification exam.