What are the main focuses of ACLS and PALS classes despite the new 2015 guidelines and recommendations provided by the American Heart Association (AHA)?

About Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Classes

As some of the AHA guidelines and recommendations have recently changed and been updated (i.e., in Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support), it should be noted that our exceptional PDRE instructors strive to always teach the most important concepts which advanced healthcare providers require in order to be competent and constantly ready just in case advanced cardiac life support is ever needed and necessary, especially while basic life support is being provided to a patient in cardiac and/or respiratory arrest. There have been numerous updated key issues and major changes as per the 2015 AHA guidelines and recommendations highlighting topics in vasopressor use during resuscitation, antiarrhythmic medications for shock-refractory VF or Pulseless VT, end-tidal carbon dioxide for determining the end of resuscitation attempts, atropine for endotracheal intubation, the use of extracorporeal CPR as an alternative to the standard CPR, post-cardiac arrest drug therapy, post-cardiac arrest fluids and inotropes, post-cardiac arrest PaO2 and PaCO2, coronary angiography, targeted temperature management, hemodynamic goals after resuscitation, prognostication after cardiac arrest, organ donation, pre-hospital ECG acquisition and interpretation, reperfusion techniques, cardiac enzyme(s) to identify patients who can be safely discharged from the emergency department, opioid overdose education and naloxone training and distribution, opioid overdose treatment, intravenous lipid emulsion, and cardiac arrest in pregnancy.

However, the fundamental foundation of all advanced CPR courses during respiratory and/or cardiac arrest in either adults or pediatric patients is, first and foremost, to ensure continuous and effective clinical acumen and psychomotor skills to evaluative, identify, and intervene.

What do we mean when we say prompt and high-quality CPR?

This means that there should be an initiation of CPR within seconds of recognizing cardiac arrest, and then following this up with high-quality compression techniques using the most adequate, up-to-date, and recommended compression rate, depth, and chest recoil while minimizing interruptions in addition to making the chest visibly rise during ventilation without also giving excessive aeration. Yes, it is very important to know advanced psychomotor skills like electrical therapy administration, airway management, intraosseous access, fluid medication delivery, and effective communication skills but it is more and more vital to really focus on the quality of compressions in that it is the central groundwork that advanced cardiac life support in adults and pediatric patients rely on for resuscitation and/or stabilization during respiratory arrest/failure or cardiac arrest and shock.  More often than not, it is the lack of prompt and high-quality CPR that decreases the survival rate of patients in cardiopulmonary arrest, even if advanced cardiac life support is started and employed.

In essence, the efficiency and success of advanced cardiac life support truly depends on basic CPR understanding, resourceful psychomotor skills, and the proper use of an AED even before the arrival of the “Code Team” or other advanced healthcare providers who may help in the resuscitation efforts in a patient who has cardiopulmonary arrest.

PDRE Pricing And Purchasing Options

As an authorized American Heart Association (AHA) training site, PDRE follows the authority in resuscitation science, research and training as published in the official AHA Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC). Our competent and experienced instructors interpret these Guidelines into the most premier quality training courses and programs in CPR, first aid and advanced emergency cardiovascular care for healthcare professionals, first responders, employees and the general public. We thank you for selecting PDRE as your preferred authorized AHA training site in Southern California.

This is a full listing of classroom-based and online courses as well as other services and products that PDRE offers. Please click on the specific course and program or services to view the full details and purchase options.

GROUP CLASSROOM-BASED COURSE
AND PROGRAM CATALOG

• Note: Policies, terms, conditions, and prices may be subject to change without prior notice at any time depending on market value and vendor pricing in addition to yearly, seasonal and daily discounts and specials. Palm Desert Resuscitation Education (PDRE) reserves the right to update or modify these policies, terms, conditions and prices.