Overview

• A standard mechanical piston device achieved a median compression depth of 53.0 mm, outperforming the manual handstand method at 34.5 mm and two other automatic devices at 29 mm each.
• Experiments ran aboard CNES’s A310 Air Zero G using ~22-second microgravity intervals over three flights with performance tracked on a high-fidelity CPR manikin.
• The results were presented at ESC Congress 2025 in Madrid, with the research supported by the French space agency CNES and conducted by a France-based clinical and engineering team.
• NASA said manual compressions remain the CPR procedure on the International Space Station and noted it is monitoring emerging research without changing protocols.
• Researchers said space agencies must weigh effectiveness against mass and stowage constraints, noting possible applications in isolated Earth settings such as submarines and Arctic bases.