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Basic Life Support

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Intensive Care Medicine

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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. Eisenberg MS, Psaty BM (2009) Defining and improving survival rates from cardiac arrest in US communities. JAMA 301:860–862

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  2. Bobrow BT et al (2008) Minimally interrupted cardiac resuscitation by emergency Medical services for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. JAMA 299:1158–1165

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, 777 Bannock St., 80204, Denver, CO, USA

    Christopher B. Colwell & Gina Soriya

Authors
  1. Christopher B. Colwell
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  2. Gina Soriya
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Head Dept of Intensive Care, Erasme Hospital (Free University of Brussels), Route de Lennik 808, 1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Louis Vincent

  2. University of Chicago Medical Center, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 6076, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Jesse B. Hall

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Colwell, C.B., Soriya, G. (2012). Basic Life Support. In: Vincent, JL., Hall, J.B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Intensive Care Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00418-6_365

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00418-6_365

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-00417-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-00418-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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