Resuscitation of a patient who has had a cardiac arrest can be divided into three parts:  basic life support,     advanced cardiac life support, and intensive care after resuscitation. Whereas basic life support concentrates on keeping the patient's blood oxygenated, advanced cardiac life support is aimed at restarting the heart using defibrillators, drugs, and special techniques. It also includes recommendations for treating cardiac arrhythmias associated with (but not causing) cardiac arrest and the initial management of acute myocardial infarction.

Recognising a cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest is diagnosed on the basis of only two clinical signs: unconsciousness and the lack of a major pulse. As soon as you have made the diagnosis you should make a cardiac arrest call (or dial the emergency services outside hospital) and then start basic life support.



BASIC LIFE SUPPORT

Basic Life Support or  BLS  is a level of medical care that  is used for patients with life-threatening illness  or injury until the patient can be given full medical care.   BLS can be provided by trained medical personnel  and by laypersons who have received BLS training.  BLS  can be provided without medical equipment. 

What is Basic Life Support?

Pediatric Basic Life Support
ADVANCED CARDIAC LIFE SUPPORT

Advanced cardiac life support or  ACLS refers to a set of clinical interventions for the urgent treatment of cardiac arrest and other life threatening medical emergencies, as well as the knowledge and skills to deploy those interventions

What is ACLS?
ACLS Quiz
Guide to Advanced Cardiac Life Support