Basic Life Support (BLS) is a set of lifesaving techniques that help maintain breathing, circulation, and an open airway. It's used to treat people who are experiencing cardiac arrest, respiratory distress, or an obstructed airway. BLS components Initial assessment: Check the scene for safety and assess the person's breathing Airway maintenance: Open the airway Chest compressions: Perform chest compressions to circulate blood to the brain and other vital organs Rescue breathing: Give rescue breaths to help maintain oxygenation BLS for adults Place the heel of one hand on the center of the person's chest Place the palm of your other hand on top Press down by 5 to 6cm (2 to 2.5 inches) at a steady rate of 100 to 120 compressions a minute After every 30 chest compressions, give 2 rescue breaths BLS for children and infants Use modified techniques using two fingers or one hand to avoid injury BLS is available in two different training methods – blended learning and classroom training.

1. BASIC LIFE
SUPPORT FOR
ADULTS
By Dr. P. Aminadab Prince

2. • Basic life support (BLS) is the component of
the immediate care provided for the victims of
life-threatening conditions, leading to cardiac
arrest, and injuries till the patient can be shifted
to a hospital. It can be given by doctors, nurses,
paramedics, or even by a trained bystander.
The brain is very sensitive to hypoperfusion. Therefore, the
main objective of BLS is to restore cerebral perfusion at the
earliest.

3. CAB-D
Basic life support consists of the following main
parts:
• Chest compressions
• Airway
• Breathing
• Defibrillation

4. Guidelines for CPR:
• Sequence: C-A-B.
• Emphasis on High-quality CPR
• Use of naloxone IM or intra-nasal in suspected
opioid overdose.
• For witnessed cardiac arrest, use of defibrillator as
soon as possible.

5. THE CHAIN OF SURVIVAL:
• EARLY ACCESS
• EARLY CPR
• EARLY RAPID DEFIBRILATION
• EFFECTIVE ADVANCED CARDIAC LIFE SUPPORT
• POST RESUSCITATIVE CARE

6. BLS ALGORITHM:

7. Overview of initial BLS steps
STEP ACTION:
1. Assessment and scene safety. Look for response and
normal or abnormal breathing. If no response and
no breathing or no normal breathing, shout for help.
2. Activate the emergency response system and get an
AED if available and return to the patient.
3. Check the victims pulse (take at least 5 but no more
than 10 seconds)
4. If no pulse within 10 seconds, perform 5 cycles of
compressions and breaths (30:2), starting with
compressions (C-A-B sequence).

8. Step 1: Assessment and scene
safety:
• STEP ACTION
• 1 Make sure that the scene is safe for you and the
victim.
• 2 Tap the victims shoulder and shout, “Are you all
right?”
• 3 Check to see if the victim is breathing. If a victim
is not breathing or not

9. Step 2: Activate the Emergency
Response System and get an AED:
• If you are alone and find an unresponsive victim not
breathing, shout for help. If no one responds,
• activate the emergency response system, get an
AED if available, return to the victim to check a
• pulse and begin CPR (C-A-B sequence).
AUTOMATED EXTERNAL
DEFIBRILATOR

10. AUTOMATED EXTERNAL
DEFIBRILLATORA
• AED or Automated external defrillator, is a device
that has the ability to detect irregular heart rhythm
and it automatically delivers a defibrillation shock
to stop irregular heart beat and allow a normal
rhythm to resume
• AEDs are designed to be used by any laypersons.

11. AED PAD PLACEMENT:

12. Step 3: Pulse Check:
Take no more than 10 seconds to check for a pulse.
• Locate the trachea using 2 or 3 fingers.
• Feel the carotid pulse between trachea and the
muscles of the neck.
• Pulse check for at least 5 but no more than 10
seconds. If no pulse start CPR.

13. Step 4: CPR with 30 chest compressions
and 2 breaths:
Chest compression technique:
• Position yourself beside the victim.
• Keep the victim in supine position and on firm surface.
• Place the heel of one hand on the center of the victim’s
chest on the lower half of the sternum.
• Place the heel of the other hand on top of the first hand.
• Straighten your arms and position your shoulders directly
over your hands.
• Push hard and fast.
• Allow for complete chest recoil.
• Minimize interruptions.

14. CARDIO-PULMONARY
RESUSCITATION
• To start CPR, place patient in supine position on a
firm and flat surface.
• Kneel down to the patient and locate the position
for chest compression on person's chest.

15. • LOCATION OF CHEST COMPRESSIONS
• Locate the lower 1/3 of the patient's sternum
between the nipples in the midline of body.

16. Rescue Breaths:
• There are two methods of opening the airway to
provide rescue breaths:
Head tilt – chin lift and jaw thrust.
{Use jaw thrust in cases of suspected head injury or cervical
spine injury. Avoid head tilt –chin lift maneuver in these
circumstances.
these 2 noninvasive manual means to help restore upper
airway patency when the tongue occludes glottis in an
unconscious patient}

17. Head tilt – chin lift:
• Place the palm of one hand on the victim’s
forehead and tilt the head back.
• Place the fingers of the other hand on the bony
part of the inferior surface of the lower jaw or
mandible.
• Lift the jaw to bring the chin forward.

18. Jaw Thrust:
Jaw thrust is indicated if the victim has a head or
neck injury.
• Place one hand on each side of the victims head,
resting the elbows on the surface on which the
victim is lying.
• Place the fingers under the angles of the victim’s
lower jaw and lift with both the hands, displacing
the jaw forward.

19. METHODS OF RESCUE BREATH:
• Mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing
• Mouth-to-Nose and Mouth-to-Stoma ventilation
(for a victim with tacheostomy)

20. • Ventilation with Bag and Mask
• Ventilation with an advanced airway.
[patient with an advanced airway like endotracheal tube should be given
one breath every 6s without interruptions in chest compression(10breaths
per minute)]

21. • 1 Cycle of adult CPR is 30 chest compressions to 2
rescue breath.
• Perform 5 cycles of CPR(lasts approximately 2
minutes)
• If two providers are present:switch roll between
compressor and resue breather every 5 cycle
• Continue resuscitation until the victims starts
breathing normally.

22. Complications of CPR:
• Rib Fracture
• Internal Injuries to organ
• Laceration related to the tip of the sternum
• Vomiting and aspiration
• Gastric Distention

23. DEFIBRILLATION AND CARDIOVERSION
• Cardioversion is the delivery of energy that is
synchronized to the QRS complex, while
• defibrillation is the non-synchronized delivery of a
shock randomly during the cardiac cycle.

24. Differences between cardioversion and defibrillation:
CARDIOVERSION DEFIBRILATOR
• Elective procedure • Emergency
• Victim awake, frequently sedated • Victim unconscious
• Synchronized with QRS • Non-synchronized
• Indications- refractory supra-ventricular
tachycardia, unstable AF, VT with pulse,
unstable Atrial flutter.
• Indications- pulseless VT, VF.
• 50-200 Joules • Begin with 200 Joules upto 360.
• ECG monitors. • ECG monitors.

25. Monophasic Vs biphasic waveforms:
Defibrillators can deliver energy in various waveforms
i.e., monophasic and biphasic.
• Monophasic defibrillation delivers a charge in only
one direction.
• Biphasic defibrillation delivers a charge in one
direction for half of the shock and in the electrically
opposite direction for the second half. Newer
defibrillators deliver energy in biphasic waveforms.
Biphasic waveform defibrillators deliver a more
consistent magnitude of energy and are more
successful than monophasic forms.

26. THANK YOU