Top Things to Know: AHA Focused Update on Adult and Pediatric Basic Life Support and CPR Quality
- Over 350,000 EMS-assessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) and 209,000 in-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCA)occur annually. Despite advances in resuscitation science, survival rates are only about 11%.
- This Focused Update, as with previous AHA CPR and First Aid Guidelines, is based on the most comprehensive evaluation of resuscitation literature through the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). ILCOR has adopted a continuous evidence evaluation (CEE) process in order to produce resuscitation updates in a more timely manner.
- This is the first annual AHA ECC Focused Update for Adult and Pediatric BLS and CPR Quality. In the past, ECC Guidelines consisted of a five-year “batch-and-queue,” which included a comprehensive review of resuscitation science. ILCOR recently adopted a CEE process, which reviews the science as it becomes available. ILCOR will continue to evaluate questions and ECC will publish focused updates to Guidelines accordingly.
- EMS-delivered CPR focus on chest compression–to–ventilation ratios, in regard to placement of an advanced airway, has also been updated.
- This Focused Update includes delineations for untrained lay rescuers, lay rescuers with chest compression-only training, and lay rescuers trained in CPR using chest compressions and ventilations.
- There is an update on Dispatch-Assisted CPR for adults suspected of having an OHCA.
- There are updates for EMS providers on continuous chest compressions during CPR and asynchronous ventilation during CPR.
- The pediatric BLS update contains recommendations on chest compression-only CPR versus CPR using chest compressions with rescue breaths.
- Components of high-quality CPR have been updated for adults and pediatric recommendations.
- Survival from both IHCA and OHCA has increased over the past decade, but there is still tremendous potential for improvement. The recommendations in this 2017 Focused Update for Adult and Pediatric BLS and CPR Quality aim to provide information on high-quality CPR for rescuers.
Citation
Kleinman ME, Goldberger ZD, Rea T, Swor RA, Bobrow BJ, Brennan EE, et al. 2017 American Heart Association focused update on adult basic life support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality: an update to the American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care [published online ahead of print November 7, 2017]. Circulation. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000539.
Atkins DL, de Caen AR, Berger S, Samson RA, Schexnayder SM, Joyner BL Jr, et al. 2017 American Heart Association focused update on pediatric basic life support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality: an update to the American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care [published online ahead of print November 7, 2017]. Circulation. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000540.