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Lesson

Pit-Crew CPR

10 min Cardiac & ECG Skip to quiz

Objective: On a two-person arrest, name who compresses and who runs the airway and the defibrillator. Say the switch out loud before two minutes. Put the pads on without stopping compressions.

Why this matters

If everyone kneels at the chest, nobody bags and nobody runs the defibrillator. High-quality CPR is the treatment that matters on this call. Named roles are how a small crew keeps compressions going. Do not leave the chest empty.

Key points
  • On a two-person crew, the compressor and the airway-defibrillator person rotate. Say the switch before the two-minute mark.
  • Put the pads on without stopping compressions. Charge during compressions if your device and protocol allow it.
  • One person talks: “compressing, charging, clear, shock, resume.”

Clinical sequence

  1. Name the roles out loud. On a two-person crew, one person compresses and one owns the airway and the defibrillator. Rotate. Say the switch before the two-minute mark.
  2. Put the pads on without stopping compressions. Charge during compressions if your device and protocol allow it.
  3. One person calls the steps out loud: compressing, charging, clear, shock, resume.
  4. Do not let everyone stand at the screen during a pause. Keep hands on the chest.

Teaching points

  • Keep the CPR pieces you already use: rate 100–120, depth at least 5 cm (2 in) in adults, full recoil, pauses under 10 seconds, and a switch about every 2 minutes.
  • When you are only two, the airway person also runs the defibrillator. Do not both stand at the screen.
  • Mechanical CPR is a tool for a move or a small crew. It is not automatically better. Routine use is not recommended.
  • Pit crew means assigned roles. It is not a brand. Your procedure may use different labels.
  • Two people versus a full crew. With two people, one compresses and one owns the airway and the defibrillator, and they switch. When more people arrive, split compressor, airway, defibrillator, access and medications, and one leader who watches the clock. Do not leave the chest empty so you can staff a five-role map.

Common errors

  • All three people stand at the monitor during a pause.
  • One person compresses for the whole resuscitation.
  • The crew stops CPR to debate the strip.

Practice

One-minute check

You and one partner have a VF arrest. Assign roles for the first two minutes, including who charges the defibrillator.

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.

Education only. Apply learning within your protocols and medical direction. This is not clinical care guidance.

Check Your Understanding

Questions drawn only from this lesson. After you check, the key is highlighted. Education practice — not a certification exam.

1. On a two-person crew in arrest, the highest-yield split is:
2. Compressor switches should happen:
3. Routine mechanical CPR in adult out-of-hospital arrest is:
4. The pause to look at the monitor should be:
5. When more responders arrive, the full pit-crew map is:
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