Introduction to Basic Life Support (BLS)

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering adult, pediatric, and infant Basic Life Support (BLS), defibrillation, and foreign body airway obstruction management according to the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Guidelines.

Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines 2025

The national clinical guidelines (updated from the 2021 guidance) that outline the algorithms and standards for basic life support and defibrillation in healthcare and community settings.

Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Epidemiology (UK)

Approximately $115{,}000$ cases reported annually to the ambulance service, with resuscitation attempted in $43{,}000$ cases; $98\%$ occur in adults, $80\%$ have a cardiac cause, $80\%$ occur in men, and approximately $60\%$ in individuals over $65$ years.

Mean Ambulance Response Time (UK Cardiac Arrest)

$7.2\,\text{minutes}$, a critical duration considering irreversible brain damage begins at approximately $4\,\text{minutes}$.

Bystander CPR

Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation initiated prior to professional arrival, which approximately doubles the patient's chance of survival from a baseline 30-day survival rate of $9.5\%$.

Chain of Survival

A four-stage continuum of care giving the best chance of survival: 1) Early recognition and call for help, 2) Early CPR, 3) Early defibrillation, and 4) Post-resuscitation care.

Agonal Breathing

Slow, gasping, irregular, or noisy breathing present in a person in cardiac arrest that must not be mistaken for normal breathing.

DRSABCD

The structured basic life support assessment mnemonic representing Danger, Response, Shout for help, Airway, Breathing and Circulation, CPR, and Defibrillation.

Danger (BLS Step)

The initial assessment ensuring scene safety for rescuer, patient, and bystanders (checking for spills, sharps, equipment, or agitated patients in hospital; traffic, fire, electricity, water, or falling objects outside hospital).

Response (BLS Step)

The check for consciousness by gently shaking the patient's shoulders and shouting loudly into both ears, 'Are you all right?', while taking care with the neck if spinal injury is suspected.

2222

The standard emergency telephone number used in UK hospitals to call the resuscitation crash team for an in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Head-Tilt / Chin-Lift Maneuver

The standard airway opening technique performed by placing one hand on the forehead to tilt the head back and fingertips of the other hand under the chin point to lift the chin.

Jaw Thrust

An alternative airway-opening maneuver indicated when a cervical spine or neck injury is suspected, opening the airway while keeping the head and neck aligned.

Breathing and Circulation Assessment

Simultaneously looking, listening, and feeling for normal breathing while palpating the carotid pulse, completed together in no more than $10\,\text{seconds}$.

High-Quality Adult CPR

Chest compressions delivered on the lower half of the sternum at a rate of $100\text{--}120\,\text{compressions per minute}$ and depth of $5\text{--}6\,\text{cm}$ (no deeper than $6\,\text{cm}$), allowing full recoil between compressions, combined with rescue ventilations in a $30:2$ ratio.

Bag-Valve-Mask (BVM)

A hand-operated positive pressure ventilation device used during resuscitation to deliver rescue breaths (each over approximately $1\,\text{second}$ with sufficient volume to produce chest rise).

Anterolateral AED Pad Placement

The standard electrode placement on a bare chest: one pad below the right clavicle (collarbone) and the second pad on the left mid-axillary line below the armpit.

Stand Clear and Oxygen Away

The mandatory safety procedure prior to defibrillation shock delivery requiring all individuals to disconnect contact with the patient and move high-flow oxygen sources at least $1\,\text{metre}$ away from the patient's chest.

Contraindications to Starting CPR

The presence of a valid advance decision (ReSPECT, DNACPR, or ADRT), an unsafe environment, or injuries clearly incompatible with life.

Criteria for Ceasing CPR

When the specialized resuscitation team arrives and takes over, when the patient demonstrates unambiguous signs of life (e.g., return of normal breathing), or when the rescuer reaches complete physical exhaustion.

Recovery Position

A stable lateral recumbent posture used for an unresponsive individual who is breathing normally, maintaining a clear airway by keeping the head tilted back.

Paediatric Age Classifications (2025 Guidelines)

Standard developmental age categories: Infant (under $1\,\text{year}$), Child ($1\text{--}12\,\text{years}$), and Adolescent ($13\text{--}18\,\text{years}$).

Paediatric BLS Sequence Modifications

Giving $5$ initial rescue breaths before compressions due to hypoxic etiology, followed by compressions at a depth of at least one-third chest diameter (max $6\,\text{cm}$), using a compression-to-ventilation ratio of $15:2$ for healthcare professionals ($30:2$ for lay rescuers).

Lone Rescuer Paediatric Rule

The protocol requiring a solitary rescuer without a mobile phone to perform $1\,\text{minute}$ of CPR before leaving the pediatric patient to summon emergency services.

Two-Thumb Encircling Technique

The preferred infant chest compression method where both thumbs depress the lower half of the sternum to at least one-third chest depth while the hands encircle the thorax.

Anteroposterior AED Pad Placement

The electrode placement configuration used for infants and small children below approximately $25\,\text{kg}$, placing one pad in the center of the chest and the other pad in the center of the back.

Choking Management in Children (> 1 Year)

Administering up to $5$ back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of the hand, followed by up to $5$ abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) below the sternum, cycling until relief or unresponsiveness (which prompts CPR).

Choking Management in Infants (< 1 Year)

Positioning the infant prone along the rescuer's forearm with the head lowered to deliver up to $5$ back blows, followed by turning supine to deliver up to $5$ chest thrusts using two fingers on the lower sternum (abdominal thrusts are strictly avoided).

Abdominal Thrusts Referral Protocol

The clinical mandate requiring any individual who has received abdominal thrusts to attend a hospital emergency department due to the risk of internal visceral trauma.