BASIC LIFE SUPPORT

BY
POOJA LAKSHMANAN
BASIC LIFE SUPPORT
◦ Basic life support (BLS) is a level of medical care which is used for victims of life-threatening illnesses or injuries
until they can be given full medical care at a hospital.
◦ It can be provided by trained medical personnel, such as emergency medical technicians, and by qualified bystanders.
◦ The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) was formed in 1992 to coordinate the efforts of
resuscitation worldwide. 
◦  In 2000, the committee published the first resuscitation guideline. In 2005, the committee published International
Consensus on Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) Science with
Treatment Recommendations.
◦ Since 2010, the committee has provided materials for regional resuscitation providers such as 
European Resuscitation Council and American Heart Association to write their own guidelines.
◦ CPR provided in the field increases the time available for higher medical responders to arrive and provide ALS care. An
important advance in providing BLS is the availability of the automated external defibrillator or AED. This improves
survival outcomes in cardiac arrest cases.
INDICATIONS
◦ Cardiac arrest
◦ Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops pumping in a regular rhythm.
◦ In this situation, early defibrillation is the key to returning the victim's heart back to a normal rhythm.
◦ When a defibrillator is not readily available, a rescuer or bystander should keep the blood flowing by
performing chest compressions and rescue breaths at an age-appropriate rate until it is.
◦ Respiratory Arrest
◦ Respiratory arrest is when there is no measurable breathing in a victim.
◦ It tends to occur in conjunction with cardiac arrest, but this is not always the case. Respiratory arrest is
the most common indication of BLS in infants and toddlers.
◦ The most critical factor in restoring breathing in the victim is to provide high quality rescue breaths
INDICATIONS
◦ Drowning:
◦ In cases of drowning, rescuers should provide CPR as soon as an unresponsive victim is removed from the water.
◦ In particular, rescue breathing is important in this situation. A lone rescuer is typically advised to give CPR for a short time before leaving the
victim to call emergency medical services.
◦ Since the primary cause of cardiac arrest and death in drowning and choking victims is hypoxemia, it is recommended to start with rescue
breaths before proceeding to chest compressions (if pulseless). If the victim presents in a shockable rhythm, early defibrillation is still
recommended.
◦ Choking:
◦ Choking occurs when a foreign body obstructs the trachea. Rescuers should only intervene in victims who show signs of severe airway
obstruction, such as a silent cough, cyanosis, or inability to speak or breathe.
◦ If a victim is coughing forcefully, rescuers should not interfere with this process and encourage the victim to keep coughing. If a victim shows
signs of severe airway obstruction, anti-choking maneuvers such as Abdominal thrusts should be applied until the obstruction is relieved.
◦ If a victim becomes unresponsive he should be lowered to the ground, and the rescuer should call emergency medical services and initiate
CPR. When the airway is opened during CPR, the rescuer should look into the mouth for an object causing obstruction, and remove it if it is
evident.
TECHNIQUES
◦ The American Heart Association highlights the most important steps of BLS in a "four-link chain of survival."
◦ The chain of survival includes early recognition of an ongoing emergency, early initiation of CPR by a
bystander, early use of a defibrillator, and early advanced life support once more qualified medical help
arrives. Qualified bystanders with training in BLS are encouraged to perform the first three steps of the four-
link chain of survival.
◦ High quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation using an 
automated external defibrillator (AED) are the most important aspects of BLS to ensure a victim survives
◦ CPR involves a rescuer or bystander providing chest compressions to a victim in a supine position while also
giving rescue breaths.
◦ The rescuer or bystander can also choose not to provide breaths and provide compression-only CPR.
Depending on the age and circumstances of the victim, there can be variations in the compression to breath
ratio given.
 SPECIAL POPULATIONS
◦ When performing BLS, laypeople and medical personnel are encouraged to remember that some groups
of people have certain conditions that need to be taken into considerations.
◦ Pregnant women
◦ To relieve choking, chest thrusts should be used instead of abdominal thrusts when the victim is in late
pregnancy.
◦ Obese
◦ If a victim of choking is obese and a rescuer cannot perform adequate abdominal thrusts, they are
encouraged to instead perform chest thrusts.
◦ Infants
◦ To relieve choking, abdominal thrusts should not be used in infants under 1 year of age due to risk of
causing injury. A sequence of back slaps and chest compressions are used instead.