2020
-2025
Guidelines and
Standards
ACLS
Advanced Cardiac
Life Support
Provider Handbook
By Dr. Karl Disque
1 ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
,ACLS
Advanced Cardiac
Life Support
Provider Handbook
By Dr. Karl Disque
1 ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
, Copyright © 2023 Satori Continuum Publishing
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication
can be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database
or retrieval system, without the prior consent of the publisher.
Satori Continuum Publishing
1810 E Sahara Ave. Suite 1507
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Printed in the United States of America
Educational Service Disclaimer
This Provider Handbook is an educational service provided by Satori Continuum Publishing. Use of this
service is governed by the terms and conditions provided below. Please read the statements below
carefully before accessing or using the service. By accessing or using this service, you agree to be bound
by all of the terms and conditions herein.
The material contained in this Provider Handbook does not contain standards that are intended to be
applied rigidly and explicitly followed in all cases. A health care professional’s judgment must remain
central to the selection of diagnostic tests and therapy options of a specific patient’s medical condition.
Ultimately, all liability associated with the utilization of any of the information presented here rests
solely and completely with the health care provider utilizing the service.
Version 2023.10
2 ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
, TABLE of CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Introduction to ACLS . . . . . . . 5
2 The Initial Assessment . . . . . . . 6
3 Basic Life Support . . . . . . . 7
Initiating the Chain of Survival – 7
2020 BLS Guideline Changes – 8
BLS for Adults – 9
One-Rescuer Adult BLS/CPR
Two-Rescuer Adult BLS/CPR
Adult Mouth-to-Mask Ventilation
Adult Bag-Mask Ventilation in Two-Rescuer CPR
BLS for Children/Infants – 15
One-Rescuer Child BLS/CPR
One-Rescuer Infant BLS/CPR
Child/Infant Mouth-to-Mask Ventilation
Child/Infant Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation in Two-Rescuer CPR
Self-Assessment for BLS – 20
4 Advanced Cardiac Life Support . . . . . . . 22
Normal Heart Anatomy and Physiology – 22
ACLS Rhythms and Interpretation – 23
The ACLS Survey (ABCD) – 30
Airway Management – 31
Basic Airway Adjuncts
Basic Airway Technique
Advanced Airway Adjuncts
Routes of Access – 35
Intravenous Route
Intraosseous Route
Pharmacological Tools – 36
5 Self-Assessment for ACLS – 37
Principles of Early Defibrillation . . . . . . . 38
Keys to Using an Automated External Defibrillator – 39
Criteria to Apply AED
Basic AED Operation
3 ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
-2025
Guidelines and
Standards
ACLS
Advanced Cardiac
Life Support
Provider Handbook
By Dr. Karl Disque
1 ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
,ACLS
Advanced Cardiac
Life Support
Provider Handbook
By Dr. Karl Disque
1 ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
, Copyright © 2023 Satori Continuum Publishing
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication
can be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database
or retrieval system, without the prior consent of the publisher.
Satori Continuum Publishing
1810 E Sahara Ave. Suite 1507
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Printed in the United States of America
Educational Service Disclaimer
This Provider Handbook is an educational service provided by Satori Continuum Publishing. Use of this
service is governed by the terms and conditions provided below. Please read the statements below
carefully before accessing or using the service. By accessing or using this service, you agree to be bound
by all of the terms and conditions herein.
The material contained in this Provider Handbook does not contain standards that are intended to be
applied rigidly and explicitly followed in all cases. A health care professional’s judgment must remain
central to the selection of diagnostic tests and therapy options of a specific patient’s medical condition.
Ultimately, all liability associated with the utilization of any of the information presented here rests
solely and completely with the health care provider utilizing the service.
Version 2023.10
2 ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
, TABLE of CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Introduction to ACLS . . . . . . . 5
2 The Initial Assessment . . . . . . . 6
3 Basic Life Support . . . . . . . 7
Initiating the Chain of Survival – 7
2020 BLS Guideline Changes – 8
BLS for Adults – 9
One-Rescuer Adult BLS/CPR
Two-Rescuer Adult BLS/CPR
Adult Mouth-to-Mask Ventilation
Adult Bag-Mask Ventilation in Two-Rescuer CPR
BLS for Children/Infants – 15
One-Rescuer Child BLS/CPR
One-Rescuer Infant BLS/CPR
Child/Infant Mouth-to-Mask Ventilation
Child/Infant Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation in Two-Rescuer CPR
Self-Assessment for BLS – 20
4 Advanced Cardiac Life Support . . . . . . . 22
Normal Heart Anatomy and Physiology – 22
ACLS Rhythms and Interpretation – 23
The ACLS Survey (ABCD) – 30
Airway Management – 31
Basic Airway Adjuncts
Basic Airway Technique
Advanced Airway Adjuncts
Routes of Access – 35
Intravenous Route
Intraosseous Route
Pharmacological Tools – 36
5 Self-Assessment for ACLS – 37
Principles of Early Defibrillation . . . . . . . 38
Keys to Using an Automated External Defibrillator – 39
Criteria to Apply AED
Basic AED Operation
3 ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
