Executive summary

euRopean ReSuScitation council

Summary of the main changes in the Resuscitation Guidelines
eRc GuidelineS 2010

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To p r e s e r v e h u m a n l i f e b y m a k i n g high quality resuscitation available to all
The Network of National Resuscitation Councils

European Resuscitation Council

Published by: european Resuscitation council Secretariat vzw, Drie Eikenstraat 661 - BE 2650Edegem - Belgium Website: www.erc.edu Email: info@erc.edu Tel: +32 3 826 93 21
© European Resuscitation Council 2010. All rights reserved. We encourage you to send this document to other persons as a whole in order to disseminate the ERC Guidelines. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording or otherwise for commercial purposes, without the prior written permission of the ERC. Version1.2

Disclaimer: No responsibility is assumed by the authors and the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in thematerial herein.

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Summary of main changes since 2005 Guidelines
Basic life support
Changes in basic life support (BLS) since the 2005 guidelines include: improve the quality of CPR performance and provide feedback to professional rescuers during debriefing sessions.

♦♦ Dispatchers should be trained to

interrogate callers with strict protocols to elicit information. Thisinformation should focus on the recognition of unresponsiveness and the quality of breathing. In combination with unresponsiveness, absence of breathing or any abnormality of breathing should start a dispatch protocol for suspected cardiac arrest. The importance of gasping as sign of cardiac arrest is emphasised.

electrical therapies: automated external defibrillators, defibrillation, cardioversion andpacing
The most important changes in the 2010 ERC Guidelines for electrical therapies include:

♦♦ The importance of early, uninterrupted chest compressions is emphasised throughout these guidelines.

provide chest compressions to victims of cardiac arrest. A strong emphasis on delivering high quality chest compressions remains essential. The aim should be to push to a depth of at least 5 cmat a rate of at least 100 compressions min-1, to allow full chest recoil, and to minimise interruptions in chest compressions. Trained rescuers should also provide ventilations with a compression–ventilation (CV) ratio of 30:2. Telephone-guided chest compression-only CPR is encouraged for untrained rescuers.

♦♦ All rescuers, trained or not, should

♦♦ Much greater emphasis on minimising theduration of the pre-shock and post-shock pauses; the continuation of compressions during charging of the defibrillator is recommended.

♦♦ Immediate resumption of chest

♦♦ The use of prompt/feedback devic-

es during CPR will enable immediate feedback to rescuers and is encouraged. The data stored in rescue equipment can be used to monitor and

compressions following defibrillation is alsoemphasised; in combination with continuation of compressions during defibrillator charging, the delivery of defibrillation should be achievable with an interruption in chest compressions of no more than 5 seconds.

♦♦ Safety of the rescuer remains par-

amount, but there is recognition in

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Adult Basic Life Support
UNRESPONSIVE?

Shout for help

Open airway

NOT BREATHINGNORMALLY?

Call 112*

30 chest compressions

2 rescue breaths 30 compressions

*or national emergency number

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Automated External Defibrillation
Unresponsive?

Call for help

Open airway Not breathing normally Send or go for AED Call 112* * or national emergency number

Until AED is attached

CPR 30:2

AED assesses rhythm

Shock advised 1 Shock
Immediately resume: CPR 30:2...