Advanced Cardiac Life Support Training
Advanced Cardiac Life Support is one of two Advanced Life Support courses available at Toronto First Aid. The target audience for ACLS training are people who deal with cardiorespiratory emergencies in adults in an organized medical environment, usually healthcare professionals. It introduces advanced topics such as cardiac pharmacology, defibrillation, and familiarization with the crash cart. We emphasize the importance of recognizing cardiac arrest and other cardiac emergencies in adults and the steps taken to stabilize the patient.
The ACLS program lasts 12 hours with the renewal course being 5 to 6.5 hours.
ACLS vs. PALS
ACLS and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) are both Advanced Life Support programs. However, the different in terms of the patient age. ACLS focuses on adult management while PALS focuses on pediatric management. A lot of concepts are the same between the topics, but modifications have to be made for children and infants because of the immaturity of their organs. Specifically, ALS differs from BLS in this way: Basic Life Support focuses on out-of-hospital emergencies while Advanced Life Support focuses on in-hospital emergencies.
The ACLS curriculum
The ACLS program’s curriculum covers topics such as: Changes in the 2010 CPR and ECC guidelines, overview on BLS skills (which should have been covered in the CPR Level C, a prerequisite for ACLS training), recognition of cardiac arrest and other peri-arrest cardiac emergencies, defibrillation with a monophasic and biphasic defibrillator, and team dynamics in a resuscitation team (aka the “code team”).
ACLS refresher program
ACLS credentials are only valid for 36 months. After which, the healthcare provider has to sign up for an ACLS refresher program to get a new training credential. Refresher courses act like update courses, for healthcare providers who need to update their CPR skills and knowledge. You don’t have to wait three years to sign up for an ACLS refresher program; sign up when you feel like you need an update.
Getting started with training: Cardiac arrythmias
Cardiac arrest, a condition characterized by asystole (a heart that has stopped beating), is usually preceeded by arryhtmias. Arrhythmias are irregular heart rhythms, caused by a variety of factors such as electrolyte imbalance and congenital cardiac deformalities. A person usually experiences the following signs and symptoms if they have an arrythmia:
- Irregular heart beat (palpitations) and pulse
- Difficulty breathing
- Easy fatiguability
- Chest pain, especially after strenuous activity
Ventricular fibrillation or “v-fib” is the most dangerous kind of arrhythmia, because it affects the ventricles – the part of the heart that pumps blood to the rest of the body. Arrhythmias occur when there is a problem with the electrical conductivity in the cardiac muscle, which blocks the impulses sent from the brain to the heart. Ventricular fibrillation is caused by:
- Cardiomyopathy
- Atherosclerosis
- Cardiac valve problems
- Congenital heart diseases
- Electrocution
- Trauma to cardiac muscle
You may experience the following symptoms suddenly if you are experience v-fib and cardiac arrest:
- Respiratory arrest
- Loss of consciousness
- Lack of pulse
- Extremely low (or lack of) blood pressure
Visit us at Toronto First Aid and get a tour of our facility and classes today.