Encyclopedia of Intensive Care Medicine

2012 Edition
| Editors: Jean-Louis Vincent, Jesse B. Hall

Basic Life Support

Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00418-6_365
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Synonyms

EMT-basic; Field medicine; First responder; Out-of-hospital care

Definition

Basic life support (BLS) is defined as a variety of noninvasive emergency procedures performed to assist in the immediate survival of a patient, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemorrhage control, stabilization of fractures, spinal immobilization, and basic first aid. Some of these procedures can be lifesaving and are often important to implement early. Specifically in the case of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation with automatic external defibrillators (AEDs), BLS procedures can have a significant impact on survival, and are typically delivered by initial responders (sometimes referred to as first-responders) until more advanced and definitive medical care can be implemented. BLS is typically provided by either first responders or emergency medical technician (EMT)-basics.

Characteristics

BLS can be provided by first responders or EMTs. EMTs are classified as EMT-basic...

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References

  1. 1.
    Eisenberg MS, Psaty BM (2009) Defining and improving survival rates from cardiac arrest in US communities. JAMA 301:860–862PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. 2.
    Bobrow BT et al (2008) Minimally interrupted cardiac resuscitation by emergency Medical services for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. JAMA 299:1158–1165PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. 3.
    Soroudi A et al (2007) Adult foreign airway obstruction in the prehospital setting. Prehosp Emerg Care 11(1):25–29PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Emergency MedicineDenver Health Medical CenterDenverUSA