What Acronyms Do You Need to Know in Advanced Cardiac Life Support?

Certification in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) offers healthcare professionals the opportunity to move forward in their careers and provide the necessary care in emergency situations. For first responders and other healthcare professionals, it’s important to understand advanced cardiac life support acronyms and other ‘easy-to-remember’ facts to be able to quickly perform life-saving measures. As new guidelines for first aid and life support take effect, this is now more important than ever.

Important advanced cardiac life support acronyms and facts you should know:

C-A-B
The original A-B-C (airway, breathing, circulation) approach was evaluated and reworked in the 2010 guidelines to C-A-B (circulation, airway, breathing). This puts the emphasis on initiating chest compressions so individuals in heart failure are more likely to have blood flow maintained.

2 inches, 100 per minute
Chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should depress the adult sternum at least 2 inches; the previous 2005 guidelines recommended depression between 1½ and 2 inches. Additionally, the chest compressions should be performed at a rate of at least 100 per minute to maximize blood flow. This is a modification to the 2005 guidelines of about 100 chest compressions per minute.

Four new medication protocols
The 2010 guidelines recommend four new medication protocols.

Atropine is no longer recommended for managing PEA or asystole.
Adenosine is recommended for treating tachycardia.
Intravenous chronotropic agents are seen as an effective alternative to individuals with unstable bradycardia.
Oxygen supplementation should only be applied if saturation is less than 94 percent.

These ‘easy-to-remember’ revisions are just three of the many important facts you will learn in an advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) course. For any healthcare professional or first responder, it’s imperative to review all course materials and pay close attention to each revised area.

For more information on the new recommendations and guidelines related to other certification areas, such as BLS or PALS, or to learn more about earning ACLS certification online, view Health Ed Solutions’ course overviews. Health Ed Solutions is the leading provider of online ACLS classes as well as BLS, PALS and CPR and AED training.