THE EFFECTS OF CARBOHYDRATE INGESTION ON COMPRESSION-ONLY CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION PERFORMANCE
Faculty Mentor
Katie Taylor
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-14-2026 9:00 AM
End Date
4-14-2026 11:00 AM
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Exercise Science
Abstract
Research has shown ergogenic benefits of carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion on endurance and intermittent exercises. However, to date, no research has explored the effects of CHO ingestion following an overnight fast on compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance. CPR performance requires sustained high-intensity repetitions performed under emergency circumstances. Therefore, it may be important to understand the role of fasting and the potential ergogenic benefit of CHO ingestion on CPR performance. PURPOSE: To determine the effects of CHO ingestion compared to a placebo on CPR performance, defined as time to failure, after an overnight fast. METHODS: Apparently healthy, CPR-certified adults (n = 21; 22.1 ± 3.7 y; 52.4% male) completed a double-blind, randomized, crossover, controlled trial with each trial separated by 48 hours. Participants fasted for at least 10 hours prior to testing but consumed water ad libitum. For the testing sessions, participants ingested either a 16-oz CHO-electrolyte or an electrolyte-only drink, 30 minutes prior to the activity. All participants completed compression-only CPR until failure using a standard teaching mannequin. Failure was defined as improper depth or rate of compressions and/or volitional exhaustion. Data were analyzed using a paired samples t-test with an alpha level set at 0.05. Data were non-normally distributed and were log transformed for analysis. Data are presented as untransformed means and standard deviations for interpretation. RESULTS: On average, participants had been CPR certified for 3.0 ± 3.2 years. There were no significant differences in time to failure between the CHO (2.50 ± 2.73 mins) and placebo conditions (2.99 ± 3.66 mins; p = 0.40). Further, 76.2% of participants reached failure due to slow compression rate (<100 cpm) during the CHO condition compared to 61.9% during the placebo condition. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest there is no ergogenic effect of CHO consumption following an overnight fast on compressions-only CPR performance. Given the short duration of the CPR performance, there may be no need for CHO supplementation due to the likely minimal changes in glucose and glycogen levels. However, future research would be beneficial to determine the metabolic cost and substrate utilization of compression-only CPR.
Recommended Citation
Breaker, Sophie; Whited, Brooke; and Lyon, Aiden, "THE EFFECTS OF CARBOHYDRATE INGESTION ON COMPRESSION-ONLY CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION PERFORMANCE" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 42.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/ps_2026/p1_2026/42
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
THE EFFECTS OF CARBOHYDRATE INGESTION ON COMPRESSION-ONLY CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION PERFORMANCE
PUB NCR
Research has shown ergogenic benefits of carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion on endurance and intermittent exercises. However, to date, no research has explored the effects of CHO ingestion following an overnight fast on compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance. CPR performance requires sustained high-intensity repetitions performed under emergency circumstances. Therefore, it may be important to understand the role of fasting and the potential ergogenic benefit of CHO ingestion on CPR performance. PURPOSE: To determine the effects of CHO ingestion compared to a placebo on CPR performance, defined as time to failure, after an overnight fast. METHODS: Apparently healthy, CPR-certified adults (n = 21; 22.1 ± 3.7 y; 52.4% male) completed a double-blind, randomized, crossover, controlled trial with each trial separated by 48 hours. Participants fasted for at least 10 hours prior to testing but consumed water ad libitum. For the testing sessions, participants ingested either a 16-oz CHO-electrolyte or an electrolyte-only drink, 30 minutes prior to the activity. All participants completed compression-only CPR until failure using a standard teaching mannequin. Failure was defined as improper depth or rate of compressions and/or volitional exhaustion. Data were analyzed using a paired samples t-test with an alpha level set at 0.05. Data were non-normally distributed and were log transformed for analysis. Data are presented as untransformed means and standard deviations for interpretation. RESULTS: On average, participants had been CPR certified for 3.0 ± 3.2 years. There were no significant differences in time to failure between the CHO (2.50 ± 2.73 mins) and placebo conditions (2.99 ± 3.66 mins; p = 0.40). Further, 76.2% of participants reached failure due to slow compression rate (<100 >cpm) during the CHO condition compared to 61.9% during the placebo condition. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest there is no ergogenic effect of CHO consumption following an overnight fast on compressions-only CPR performance. Given the short duration of the CPR performance, there may be no need for CHO supplementation due to the likely minimal changes in glucose and glycogen levels. However, future research would be beneficial to determine the metabolic cost and substrate utilization of compression-only CPR.