We have had a long research interest in defibrillation and resuscitation. The CPR research Group has made several major contributions over the years that have resulted in significant changes in the national and international guidelines for emergency cardiac care. This group has had almost continuous American Heart Association funding for its important work over the past 25 years. In the field of resuscitation, the members of the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center CPR Research Group emphasized the role of coronary perfusion pressure to survival of prolonged CPR, and the importance of end-tidal CO2 monitoring during CPR. They have helped to clarify the mechanism of blood flow in CPR and the importance of chest compression rate.

In the mid-1990s, this group showed the importance of chest-compressions-only for the initial period of bystander CPR, and most recently the importance of continual chest-compression during cardiac arrest. This demonstrated that continued chest compression is better than interrupting chest compression every 15 compressions for two ventilations as has been recommended since the 1960s. This finding will undoubtedly change the way basic cardiac life support will be delivered in the future.