Abstract: An external cardiac compression alarm system is disclosed comprising an inflatable balloon which may be inserted through the esophagus into the chest region of a patient undergoing cardiac arrest, said balloon being connected by a tube to a pressure gauge. The pressure gauge, in turn, is connected to a speaker which may emit two tones. There are two switches provided on the pressure gauge, one switch corresponding to a desired minimum degree of pressure to be exerted on the patient and the second switch corresponding to a desired maximum degree of pressure such that when the first switch is activated by the pressure gauge, the speaker emits one tone and when the second switch is activated, the speaker emits a second tone, thereby providing both audio and visual feedback immediately to a person performing external cardiac compression.