For the new year, new guidelines on resuscitation

New resuscitation guidelines were published in the December 2005 issue of Circulation, official journal of the American Heart Association.¹ The goal of this effort? To update the previous (2000) version. Improved survival and a decrease in morbidity through implementation of new, evidence-based "Consensus on Science and Treatment Recommendations" (CoSTR) developed by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). Members of ILCOR include the American Heart Association (AHA) and leading international resuscitation councils. The review of resuscitation literature reflected in CoSTR is the largest ever published, taking more than 36 months to complete and including input from 380 international experts. As in the previous version, CPR recommendations differ for lay rescuers and health-care professionals.²

The new guidelines are marked by some dramatic departures from previous recommendations, including greater emphasis on chest compression during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Notable new recommendations that will have an impact on training provided by the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Program and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) include:

References

2. American Heart Association in collaboration with International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation: Guidelines 2000 for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation 2000;102(suppl):I-1-I-384