Abstract

Aim.The aim of this literature review was to study medical staff knowledge about cardiopulmonary resuscitation for pregnant women.

Background.Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in pregnancy is a rare event. Although rare, CPR during pregnancy is very important, because saves the life of the mother and fetus. Knowledge of medical staff and their formal training on CPR in pregnancy are such factors affecting the maternal and fetal outcomes. Knowing the state of medical staff knowledge in this area will help recognize the existing gaps and plan for improvement.

Method.In this narrative review, databases such as Medline, Science direct, Ovid, Scopus, SID, Magiran and Barakat Knowledge Network System was used to data collection. Articles published between 2000-2016, were searched out by the keywords "cardiopulmonary resuscitation",‌"pregnancy", "knowledge","medical Staff", both inPersian and English. Inclusion criteria was content similarity to subject under study. 

Findings. Out of 20 retrieved papers, 4 cross- sectional analytical articles published between 2008-2012 was selected and reviewed for describing the state of medical staff knowledge on CPR in pregnancy. The knowledge of medical staff was in poor level in different areas such as proper pregnant patient positioning during CPR, sequence of bag- mask ventilation and intubation, defibrillation (application during pregnancy, paddle placement location, energy and considerations), the use of drugs and therapeutic doses and cesarean section in within 4-5 minutes following CPR failure.  

Conclusion.The knowledge of medical staff about CPR in pregnancy is poor. Establishing continuous educational course to improve their knowledge is recommended.