EMS 2001 - Advanced Cardiac Life Support

Credits: 1
Hours/Week: Lab 1
Course Description: The American Heart Association (AHA) Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) course is designed for healthcare providers who either direct or participate in the resuscitation of a patient, whether in or out of hospital. Through the ACLS course, providers will practice their skills in the treatment of the adult victim of a cardiac arrest and other cardiopulmonary emergencies. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will obtain AHA ACLS certification. Students must have knowledge of cardiac medications and proficiency in obtaining vascular access, ECG interpretation, and manual defibrillator operation prior to enrolling in this course. This course requires completion of EMS 1010  with current certification or current American Heart Association (AHA) BLS Provider or equivalent certification. Students must possess certification or licensure as a paramedic (EMT-P), registered nurse (RN), medical doctor (MD), doctor of osteopathy (DO), respiratory therapist (RT), dentist (DDS), or physician’s assistant (PA).
MnTC Goals
None

Prerequisite(s): Instructor consent
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: None

Major Content

1. Overview of ACLS

a.  Introduction

b. Systems of care

c.  Systemic approach

   2. Preventing arrest

a.  Recognition: signs of clinical deterioration

b.  Acute coronary syndromes

c.  Acute stroke

d.  Bradycardia

e.  Tachycardia: stable and unstable

   3. High-performance Teams

        a. High-performance team roles and dynamics

        b. Respiratory arrest

        c. Cardiac arrest: VF/pVT

        d. Cardiac arrest: PEA and Asystole

        e. Cardiac arrest: selected special situations

        f.  Post-cardiac arrest care

  4. Checklists and skills validation

 
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. define systems of care.
2. apply Basic Life Support (BLS) Assessment, Primary Assessment, and Secondary Assessment sequences for systematic evaluation of adult patients.
3. discuss how using rapid response teams (RRTs) or medical emergency teams (METs) may improve patient outcomes.
4. discuss early recognition and management of ACS, including appropriate disposition.
5. discuss early recognition and management of stroke, including appropriate disposition.
6. recognize bradycardia and tachycardia that may result in cardiac arrest or complicate resuscitation outcome.
7. model effective communication as a member or leader of a high-performance team.
8. recognize the impact of team dynamics on overall team performance.
9. recognize respiratory arrest.
10. perform early management of respiratory arrest.
11. recognize the symptoms of cardiac arrest.
12. perform prompt, high-quality BLS, which includes prioritizing early chest compressions and integrating early automated external defibrillator (AED) use.
13. perform early management of cardiac arrest until termination of resuscitation or transfer of care, including immediate post-cardiac arrest care.
14. evaluate resuscitative efforts during cardiac arrest by continually assessing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality, monitoring the patient’s physiologic response, and delivering real-time feedback to the team.

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