What is Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)?
The ACLS for Experienced Providers course prepares healthcare providers with advanced knowledge and techniques for cardiorespiratory emergencies.
But what is ACLS?
The acronym ACLS stands for Advanced Cardiac Life Support. ACLS includes the American Heart Association guidelines for Basic Life Support but goes into more advanced techniques for saving the lives of patients suffering cardiac arrest or stroke.
Providing advanced cardiac life support
In 2016, the AHA reported more than 350,000 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases. Nearly half of bystanders (46.1%) performed life-saving CPR, and the overall survival rate was around 12 percent.
The survival rate actually increased from 2015 to 2016 by about 2 percent. If more people are trained in Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support, the survival rate would increase even more.
ACLS-trained providers can manage sudden adult respiratory arrest, VF/VT arrest, asystole, and pulseless electrical activity. They are able to recognize the symptoms and diagnose during those critical first seconds when the cardiac event occurs.
ACLS-trained providers are also able to manage bradycardias, stable and unstable tachycardias, acute coronary syndrome, and acute stroke. Treating patients with these conditions requires knowing advanced techniques for preserving their lives.
ACLS is a critical healthcare service
From reading electrocardiograms to administering emergency medications, the ACLS provider has the knowledge, training, and skill. The key to ACLS is being able to act quickly in the emergency and perform the right series of actions. American Heart Association’s guidelines outlines the expectations and techniques used in saving patients who are experiencing these life-threatening emergencies.
ACLS providers analyze the heart rhythms and search for the cause of the cardiac arrest. An overdose-induced cardiac arrest and an underlying heart condition require different treatments. Drug overdoses can also cause strokes. An ACLS provider is able to recognize whether a patient has overdosed or if another condition is the cause of the cardiac arrest.
The healthcare providers with ACLS training provide a critical service in emergency care. Nurses, Paramedics, and EMTs all benefit from the training. They can be prepared in their everyday lives for these emergencies as well as when they are on the job and in the field. It supplements their education and enhances their knowledge and skill sets.
