Q: What is the AHA’s BLS Course?
A: The AHA’s new BLS Course provides the foundation for saving lives after cardiac arrest. Updated to
reflect new science and education in the 2015 AHA Guidelines Update for CPR and ECC, this course
teaches basic life support skills for application in both in-facility and prehospital settings, with a focus on
high-quality CPR, improvement of chest compression fraction, and high-performing team dynamics.
The AHA’s new BLS Course offers
· Content representing the latest resuscitation science for improved patient outcomes
· Realistic scenarios, simulations, and animations depicting rescuers, teams, and patients
· Course and content flexibility for AHA Instructors and students, including adaptability to local
protocols
Q: What specifically is taught in the new BLS Course?
A: After successfully completing the BLS Course, students should be able to
· Describe the importance of high-quality CPR and its impact on survival
· Describe all of the steps of the Chain of Survival
· Apply the BLS concepts of the Chain of Survival
· Recognize the signs of someone needing CPR
· Perform high-quality CPR for an adult
· Describe the importance of early use of an automated external defibrillator (AED)
· Demonstrate the appropriate use of an AED
· Provide effective ventilation using a barrier device
· Perform high-quality CPR for a child
· Perform high-quality CPR for an infant
· Describe the importance of teams in multirescuer resuscitation
· Perform as an effective team member during multirescuer CPR
· Describe the technique for relief of foreign-body airway obstruction for an adult or child
· Describe the technique for relief of foreign-body airway obstruction for an infant
Q: Who is the intended audience for the BLS Course?
A: The AHA’s BLS Course is designed for healthcare providers caring for patients both in prehospital and
in-facility environments.
Q: Why does the BLS Course name no longer include “for Healthcare Providers” or “for Prehospital
Providers”?
A: The audience-specific identifiers have been removed because the new BLS Course is designed for
healthcare providers caring for patients both in and out of a hospital/in-facility setting. For example, the
course DVD includes tracks for both prehospital and in-facility healthcare providers. Instructors may
choose a track depending on the type of provider they are teaching or can alternate between tracks to
meet the needs of both types of providers.
Q: What does the term “in-facility” mean?
A: In-facility refers to healthcare providers who work in a hospital, clinic, or other healthcare facility
including a dentist office, skilled nursing, and assisted-living facilities.
Q: What is chest compression fraction (CCF)?
A: CCF is the amount of time during a cardiac arrest event that high-quality chest compressions are
performed. Improving CCF to achieve the 80% threshold has been shown to increase survival by 200%
to 300%.
Q: Is there a BLS renewal course?
A: There is not a BLS renewal course/agenda at this time.