ACLS Protocols on Cardiac Arrest: The Impact of Adherence on Survival

An American Heart Association Resuscitation Journal study showed that every 10% increase in American Heart Association (AHA) guideline adherence results in a 30% increase in the likelihood of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). ¹ Code blue teams often rely on memory, paper, and wall clocks to comply with critical timed interventions and dosage calculations. Care teams in Code Blue events can benefit from tools that allow them to adhere more closely to AHA guidelines. Hand-held software tools can ensure compliant code blue care via metronomes, dosage calculators, timers, and prompts while capturing real-time events.

The effect of adherence to Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) protocols on the survival rates of a cardiac arrest event in the hospital can make the difference between life and death. The AHA and ACLS algorithms are the standard of care for patients suffering from in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) management. However, unfortunately, adherence to published guidelines can vary greatly.

The AHA study shows that adherence to ACLS protocols throughout an event correlates with increased ROSC in cardiac arrests. Additionally, the results imply that, in addition to correct actions, both wrong acts and exclusion of indicated activities lead to decreased ROSC after IHCA.

The reliance on manual forms of recollection and timing can be moderate at best in adhering to the AHA guidelines. And adherence to ACLS guidelines during in-hospital cardiac arrest is associated with improved outcomes, as evidenced by the study.

The RevitalPro iPad solution is a clinician-designed mobile software that guides teams to provide compliant Code Blue care via metronomes, dosage calculators, timers, and prompts. This, while simultaneously producing legible records to be contained in the EHR, and reports for post-event debriefing.

The RevitalPro app enables teams to consistently practice critical strategies that have proven to improve the performance of “Code Blue” teams during IHCAs, namely:

  1. Monitoring for interruptions in chest compressions
  2. Medication timers and dose calculators
  3. Immediate reports available for debriefing
  4. A visual dashboard report for easy review of team performance to identify critical areas for educational interventions.

 

¹The Effect of Adherence to ACLS Protocols on Survival of Event in the Setting of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest