Mechanical CPR: Three CHEERS or a big thumbs down?

There has been a fair bit about mechanical CPR devices floating around the FOAMasphere lately, so I thought I should probably do a post.

These devices are not exactly new (check out the Thumper, in use in Victoria in the 70s) However, there seems to be a surge in interest in these devices, and I must say there seems to me to have been a largely positive buzz about them in spite of the evidence for their effectiveness being somewhat lacking to say the least.