The emergency cardiac care (ECC) guideline updates are here! The American Heart Association updated their guidelines as scheduled on October 15th, 2015. Well, not really. Although the science and the studies behind the science were released in the journal Circulation, the course content and the supporting documentation for courses taught from those guidelines has not been released. In fact, it will take most of 2016 for the “release” to be complete. Only three resources are available as of this date (1/1/2016).
- Emergency cardiovascular care (ECC Handbook) — a 3 x 5 spiral notebook that outlines all algorithms from BCLS, first aid, ACLS and PALS.
- 2015 American Heart Association guidelines — a softcover book presenting the science behind the updates. For the first time, it does not review all of the recommendation. Instead, it presents only the science that has resulted in changes to the 2010 guidelines. In order to have a comprehensive account of all of the current guidelines, the 2010 Guideline Book and the 2015 Guideline Book must be combined.
- 2015 American Heart Association guidelines for CPR and emergency cardiovascular care (ECC) Science in-Service Online
In addition, in late January the online instructor updates for each of the course disciplines was released. Every instructor must attend the online updated course (approximately 1 hour in length) for each discipline in which they are certified. This must be completed prior to February 15th. Those instructors who fail to complete the updated courses must recertify. That means that if you are a first aid, Heartsaver®, BCLS, ACLS, or PEARS instructor, you must attend six online instructor update courses in order to continue to teach AHA courses.
Bsic life support for healthcare providers
Bsic life support for prehospital providers
These course materials will be available for purchase from AHA vendors on February 16, 2016. Materials include:
- Basic life support instructor manual
- Basic life support course videos (DVD Format) for instructors
- Basic life support for healthcare providers student manual
- Basic life support online course
- Basic life support algorithm cards (available separately and included in the student manual)
- Certification cards for basic life support for healthcare providerc certificatioc card. (Can only be purchased by community training center coordinators with secret code)
The following courses are scheduled to be released March-April 2016. An exact release date has not been determined.
- Advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS)
- ACLS student manual (including access to mandatory pretest online)
- ACLS instructor manual
- ACLS videos (DVD format)
- ACLS posters
- ACLS algorithm cards (assumed to have one set included with manual)
- ACLS mixed format online course (didactics online — skills with ACLS Instructor)
- ACLS online with manikin synthesizer (didactics online and practice and testing done with computerized manikin)
- ACLS certification cards (can be purchased only by community training center coordinators with secret number)
- Family & Friends CPR Anytime ® (adult/child and infant)
- Includes an inflatable manikin and CD with learn while you watch video meant to self teach CPR skills. Note: This course does not result in certification
- Heartsaver® CPR AED
- Heartsaver® CPR AED student manual
- Heartsaver® instructor manual
- Heartsaver® DVD course videos
- Heartsaver® cercification cards (can be purchased only by community training center coordinators with secret number)
- Heartsaver® first aid
- Heartsaver® first aid student manual
- Heartsaver® first aid instructor manual
- Heartsaver® first aid DVD course videos
- Heartsaver® first aid certification cards (can be purchased only by community training center coordinators with secret number)
- Heartsaver® first aid CPR AED
- Heartsaver® first aid CPR AED student manual
- Heartsaver® first aid CPR AED instructor manual
- Heartsaver® first aid CPR AED wall posters
- Heartsaver® first aid CPR AED DVD course videos
- Heartsaver® first aid CPR AED cercification carcs (can be purchased only by community training center coordinators with secret number)
The next release of course materials is scheduled for April — May 2016. A specific date for release has not been announced. The following courses and materials will be included in this release.
- Family & Friends® CPR
- Student booklets including “participation card”
- Family & Friends® instructor manual
- Family & Friends® DVD course videos
- This course does not result in certification, so there is not a “card” release associated with this course.
- Heartsaver® bloodborne pathogens
- Heartsaver® bloodborne pathogens student workbook which includes the certification card that is detachable from the back cover of the manual
- Heartsaver® bloodborne pathogens instructor manual
- Heartsaver® bloodborne pathogens DVD course videos
- Heartsaver® pediatric first aid CPR AED
- Heartsaver® Pediatric first aid CPR AED student manual
- Heartsaver® Pediatric first aid CPR AED instructor manual
- Heartsaver® Pediatric first aid CPR AED wall posters
- Heartsaver® Pediatric first aid CPR AED DVD course videos
- Heartsaver® Pediatric first aid CPR AED certification cards (can bc purchased only by community training center coordinators with secret number)
The final course release is scheduled for July — August 2016. A specific date for the release has not been announced.
- Pediatric advanced life support (PALS)
- PALS student manual (including access to mandatory pretest online)
- PALS instructor manual
- PALS videos (DVD format)
- PALS posters
- PALS algorithm cards (assumed to have one set included with manual)
- PALS mixed format online course (didactics online — skills with PALS instructor)
- PALS online with maniken synthesizer (didactics online and practice and testing done with computerized manikin)
- PALS certification cards (can be purchased only by community training center coordinators with secret number)
- Pediatric emergency assessment, recognition and stabilization (PEARS)
- PEARS student manual (including access to mandatory pretest online)
- PEARS instructor manual
- PEARS videos (DVD format)
- PEARS posters
- PEARS algorithm cards (assumed to have one set included with manual)
- PEARS mixed format online course (didactics online — skills with PALS instructor)
- PEARS online with maniken synthesizer (didactics online and practice and testing done with computerized manikin)
- ACLS certification cards (can be purchased only by community training center coordinators with secret number)
That ends the scheduled releases for 2016. Going forward the AHA has said that they will update guidelines online as they become available rather than waiting for a conglomerate release every five years. How they are going to update course materials to match ongoing changes is still unknown.
There are several courses that are not being updated because they are unaffected by the guideline changes for 2015. They are:
- Advanced cardiac life support for the experienced provider (ACLS — EP)
- Airway management course
- ECG and pharmacology course
- STEMI course