Survival from cardiac arrest depends on a sequence of interventions. The chain of
survival concept emphasises that all these time-sensitive interventions must be optimised
to maximise the chance of survival—a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
1
The original four links of the chain of survival comprised: (1) early access—to activate
the emergency medical services (EMS); (2) early basic life support (BLS) to slow the
rate of deterioration of the brain and heart, and buy time to enable defibrillation;
(3) early defibrillation—to restore a perfusing rhythm; (4) early advanced life support
(ALS)—to stabilise the patient. This chain is a prominent symbol of resuscitation
services in many parts of the world. Designs depicting the chain of survival have
been updated frequently, but until recently the message conveyed in each link has
remained unchanged.- Cummins R.O.
- Ornato J.P.
- Thies W.H.
- Pepe P.E.
Improving survival from sudden cardiac arrest: the “chain of survival” concept. A
statement for health professionals from the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Subcommittee
and the Emergency Cardiac Care Committee, American Heart Association.
Circulation. 1991; 83: 1832-1847
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References
- Improving survival from sudden cardiac arrest: the “chain of survival” concept. A statement for health professionals from the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Subcommittee and the Emergency Cardiac Care Committee, American Heart Association.Circulation. 1991; 83: 1832-1847
- European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2005. Section 1: Introduction.Resuscitation. 2005; 67 (S3–6)
- How sudden is sudden cardiac death?.Circulation. 2006; 114: 1146-1150
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
September 7,
2006
Received in revised form:
September 7,
2006
Received:
September 7,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
