Advanced Cardiac Life Support

1. Advanced Cardiac Life Support

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is a set of clinical interventions for the urgent treatment of cardiac arrest, stroke, and other life-threatening medical emergencies, as well as the knowledge and skills to deploy those interventions. ACLS builds upon the foundation of Basic Life Support (BLS), emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR and the use of advanced interventions such as defibrillation, airway management, and pharmacology.

Overview

ACLS is designed for healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies. This includes personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care, and critical care units.

Key Components

Airway Management

Airway management is a critical component of ACLS. Techniques include the use of advanced airway devices such as endotracheal tubes, laryngeal mask airways, and bag-mask ventilation. Proper airway management ensures adequate oxygenation and ventilation during resuscitation efforts.

Defibrillation

Defibrillation is the delivery of a therapeutic dose of electrical energy to the heart. It is a key intervention for the treatment of ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. The use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and manual defibrillators is emphasized in ACLS protocols.

Pharmacology

ACLS protocols include the administration of medications such as epinephrine, amiodarone, and atropine. These drugs are used to manage cardiac arrest, bradycardia, and tachycardia. Understanding the indications, dosages, and contraindications of these medications is essential for effective ACLS.

Post-Cardiac Arrest Care

Post-cardiac arrest care is crucial for improving survival and neurological outcomes. This includes optimizing hemodynamics, ensuring adequate oxygenation, and managing temperature. Therapeutic hypothermia may be considered to improve neurological recovery.

Training and Certification

ACLS certification is typically obtained through a course that includes both didactic and hands-on training. The course covers the recognition and management of cardiac arrest, acute coronary syndromes, and stroke. Certification is valid for two years, after which recertification is required.

Also see

• Basic Life Support
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
• Automated External Defibrillator
• Emergency Medicine
• Cardiac Arrest

Resources

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Source: Data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Since the data might have changed, please query MeSH on Advanced Cardiac Life Support for any updates.

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Cardiovascular disease A-Z

Most common cardiac diseases

• Cardiac arrhythmia‎
• Cardiogenetic disorders‎
• Cardiomegaly‎
• Cardiomyopathy‎
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation‎
• Chronic rheumatic heart diseases‎
• Congenital heart defects‎
• Heart neoplasia‎
• Ischemic heart diseases‎
• Pericardial disorders
• Syndromes affecting the heart‎
• Valvular heart disease‎

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Accelerated idioventricular rhythm
• Acute decompensated heart failure
• Arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Athletic heart syndrome
• Atrial flutter
• Atrioventricular fistula
• Cardiovascular disease in Australia
• Autoimmune heart disease

B

• Brown atrophy of the heart

C

• Ebb Cade
• Cardiac allograft vasculopathy
• Cardiac amyloidosis
• Cardiac asthma
• Cardiac tamponade
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiogeriatrics
• Cardiorenal syndrome
• Cardiotoxicity
• Carditis
• Coronary artery aneurysm
• Coronary artery anomaly
• Coronary artery disease
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
• Coronary artery ectasia
• Coronary occlusion
• Coronary steal
• Coronary thrombosis
• Coronary vasospasm
• Cœur en sabot
• Coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy

D

• Duke Treadmill Score
• Duroziez's disease

E

• Eisenmenger's syndrome
• Embryocardia
• Endocardial fibroelastosis
• Eosinophilic myocarditis

H

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
• Heart to Heart (1949 film)
• High-output heart failure
• Hyperdynamic precordium

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

I

• Idiopathic giant-cell myocarditis
• Interventricular dyssynchrony
• Intraventricular dyssynchrony
• Isolated atrial amyloidosis

K

• Keshan disease

L

• Loeffler endocarditis

M

• Mydicar
• Myocardial bridge
• Myocardial disarray
• Myocardial rupture
• Myocardial scarring
• Myocardial stunning
• Myocarditis

N

• Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis

O

• OLR1
• Ostial disease

P

• Papillary fibroelastoma
• Pathophysiology of heart failure
• Postpericardiotomy syndrome
• Pulmonary vein stenosis

R

• Right axis deviation
• Roemheld syndrome

S

• Saturated fat and cardiovascular disease
• SCAR-Fc
• Shone's syndrome
• Strain pattern
• Subacute bacterial endocarditis
• Sudden cardiac death of athletes

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T

• Traumatic cardiac arrest

V

• Ventricular aneurysm
• Vibroacoustic disease
• Viral cardiomyopathy

W

• Waon therapy