AHA Basic Life Support Guidelines

The American Heart Association has created a set of AHA basic life support guidelines (BLS). These guidelines are used to help people who are injured or suffering from an illness until they can receive the medical attention that they need. It can be administered by a person who is trained in basic life support or a medical professional. 

The BLS guidelines consist of the “ABC”s of emergency treatment.

• Airway-it is important that the airway is clear from any obstruction. The passage way needs to be clear for carbon dioxide to enter in the lungs.
• Breathing-air needs to be able to inflate the lungs by the airway.
• Circulation-provide an adequate amount of blood supply to the body.

In case of an emergency a trained BLS individual will be able to take the right steps to help someone with the “ABC”s. They are trained to notice if the person is not functioning like a healthy person. The first step they will take is to notice if someone is alert or not. They will ask them questions to find out if they are able to answer.  If they receive no response, they will instruct someone to call for help by dialing 911. They will then proceed with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The first step they will take is to open up the airway of the individual by tilting their jaw in the upright position. It is imperative that they make sure there is no obstruction in their mouth. They need to look and sweep their finger quickly in the mouth area, and this will ensure that there is not obstruction. After they check for an obstruction, they will check to see if they hear the person breathing. 

If the person is breathing, they will wait for help to arrive. Once they find out that the person is not breathing, it is time to continue with CPR. They will start by doing artificial two ventilations via mouth to mouth. It is important that they notice if the chest rises and falls. If the chest does not rise and fail, then they will need to start doing compressions to the chest. They will keep doing CPR until the person is revived or the medical team arrives. There are many training programs that will train you to become BLS certified. After training, you will have all the skills you need to save a life.