ACLS is a protocol for managing serious medical emergencies, including cardiac arrest. It involves advanced medical skills and is only offered to medical professionals. ACLS includes interventions such as intubation, shock with a defibrillator, and administration of drugs. Guidelines for ACLS are published in leading medical journals and vary from country to country. Recertification is required to ensure healthcare professionals can confidently make the right decisions.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is a protocol for managing patients who are experiencing serious medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest. The term also refers to the skills and training required to use the protocol safely and correctly. Because ACLS involves advanced medical skills, certification and training is only offered to medical professionals such as doctors and nurses, as laypeople lack the necessary knowledge and skills. Several organizations offer training and certification, which is required in many hospitals and healthcare settings.
The principles of ACLS are an expansion of Basic Life Support (BLS), which includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other simple measures to stabilize a patient until they can receive more expert medical care. Just like CPR, ACLS is based on the basics of first aid, in which the patient’s airways are protected, breathing is assessed and stabilized, and circulation is closely monitored. Unlike other primary care providers, people certified in advanced techniques can provide many more interventions.
Medical interventions such as intubation to open the airways and shock with a defibrillator to regulate the heart rhythm are a part of ACLS, as is the administration of drugs intended to help resuscitate. A provider must be able to quickly and accurately read data such as electrocardiograms and make decisions for the patient based on this data. ACLS certification also includes training on how to set up intravenous (IV) lines, providing medical personnel with quick access to a patient’s veins. Surgical intervention such as placement of central lines and chest tubes is also included in the training.
Anyone who works in an ER will be trained in ACLS, and most medical students around the world take certificate programs so they’re prepared for their rotations. In addition to resuscitation, the goal of ACLS is to begin by identifying what is wrong with the patient so that a long-term treatment plan can be created. Guidelines are constantly evolving, due to new information in the medical field, and people after certification require frequent recertification. Recertification also ensures that the material is always fresh, so a healthcare professional can confidently make the right decision at a critical time.
Guidelines for ACLS are published in leading medical journals around the world and are also generally available through organizations such as the American Heart Association. These guidelines may vary from country to country, because different countries have different approaches to resuscitation and some may have a wider range of legal and available drugs and tools. In all cases, the fundamental practice of maintaining chest compressions and the timely use of defibrillation are a core tenet of ACLS.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
