Helpful Tips for Studying ACLS Guidelines

Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) training equips healthcare professionals with the tools they need to provide care in emergency situations. ACLS training is especially important when working in emergency care, as ACLS procedures will be used on a daily basis.

If you are an emergency care employee preparing to earn your American Heart Association ACLS certification(or certification through an organization that incorporates American Heart Association guidelines into its course) for the first time, or are a seasoned professional brushing up old knowledge and the new ACLS guidelines in order to earn your recertification, consider these helpful study tips.

Know your CPR (and the changes in the AHA ACLS guidelines)

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one of the key procedures in ACLS training. In order to remember the recommended order of steps for CPR, just remember “C-A-B,” which stands for Compressions, Airway, andBreathing.

The recommended order of steps for performing CPR recently changed with the release of the ACLS guidelines from the American Heart Association. Originally ordered “A-B-C,” the recommended order of steps was changed to emphasize chest compressions first, as this step is most critical to patient survival in cases of cardiac arrest. Additionally, the change was made in hopes that it would make bystanders feel more comfortable performing CPR, as opening the airway and rescue breathing are the more difficult steps to perform if you are not properly trained.

Remember pharmaceutical protocols

Intravenous drugs are a key part of emergency care. Healthcare professionals with ACLS certification are trained to know how and when to administer certain medications in cases of cardiac-related emergency. The following are the medications that every healthcare professional needs to know in order to pass the ACLS certification exam.

Adenosine is used to treat cardiac arrest.
Admiodarone is used in cases where a patient is in v-fib or v-tac.
Epi is a drug that increases blood output from the heart by temporarily decreasing blood flow to the limbs.
Lidocaine is a drug that is used in cases of ventricular arrhythmia, or irregular heart rate.
Mag Sulfate is used to counteract a variety of arrhythmias.
Procainamide is another anti-arrhythmia drug used in a variety of cases.
Vadopression is used to increase circulation and cardiac output.

Note: Atropine, previously used to treat bradycardia and asystole, is no longer part of ACLS protocol. The AHA ACLS guidelines now recommend the use of Adenosine in these cases.

Make use of helpful mnemonic devices

Working in emergency care requires a healthcare professional to think fast and provide care with speed and accuracy. To help you think fast in the emergency room, and during your ACLS exam, you can use mnemonic devices in order to remember important protocols. For example, the five H’s and the five T’s are used to remember reversible medical conditions that require ACLS care:

The five H’s:Hypovolemia, Hypoxia, Hydrogen ion (acidosis), Hyper- or hypokalemia, and Hypothermia.

The five T’s: Tablets (accidental poisoning, drug overdoses); tamponade, cardiac; tension pneumothorax; thrombosis, coronary (acute myocardial infarction); and thrombosis, pulmonary, embolism.

Get your ACLS certification with Health Ed Solutions

Health Ed Solutions offers online courses for ACLS certification and recertification, as well as pediatric advanced life support (PALS), basic life support (BLS), CPR and AED training. Learn more about how to get certified, ACLS training.