Table 20.
Summary of Study Findings
| Research questions | Type of study/No. of participants | Certainty of evidence | Outcome importance | Summary of evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research question 1 | ||||
| Aerosol generation | 2 case reports427,4281 cadaver study426 | Very low (serious risk of bias, serious indirectness) | Critical | Studies reported generation of aerosols |
| Research question 2 | ||||
| Transmission of infection | 5 observational studies/2923 health care workers429., 430., 431., 432., 433.5 case reports427,428,434., 435., 436. | Very low (serious risk of bias, serious indirectness) | Critical | Inconsistent findings from observational studies Case reports reported transmission of infection after CPR |
| Research question 3 | ||||
| Infection with the same organism as the patient | No evidence | … | Critical | … |
| PPE effectiveness | 1 manikin RCT/30 health care workers440 | Low (serious risk of bias, serious indirectness) | Critical | PPE effectiveness affected by CPR delivery |
| CPR quality | 4 manikin RCTs/184 participants437., 438., 439., 440.1 manikin non-RCT/48 participants441 | Very low (serious risk of bias, serious indirectness) | Important | Time to treatment increased with donning of PPE Inconsistent findings on quality of CPR delivery |
CPR indicates cardiopulmonary resuscitation; PPE, personal protective equipment; and RCT, randomized controlled trial.