About this course

INTRODUCTION

Basic life support (BLS) consists of prompt recognition of cardiac arrest, activation of emergency response systems, immediate delivery of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and, when available, defibrillation using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Successfully completing each of these critical actions strongly predicts survival and recovery.

This topic review will discuss the critical facets of BLS in adults for clinicians as presented in the Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (CPR-ECC Guidelines) published jointly by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), American Heart Association (AHA), and European Resuscitation Council (ERC).