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02 Chain of Survival

The Chain of Survival outlines the critical steps that must be taken to maximize survival after a cardiac arrest: 1) Early recognition and call for help, 2) Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to buy time, 3) Early defibrillation to restart the heart, and 4) Post resuscitation care in a hospital. All links in the chain must be strong, and CPR and defibrillation must be provided within 4 minutes for the best chance of survival, followed by advanced life support within 8 minutes.

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Hatem Farouk
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194 views1 page

02 Chain of Survival

The Chain of Survival outlines the critical steps that must be taken to maximize survival after a cardiac arrest: 1) Early recognition and call for help, 2) Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to buy time, 3) Early defibrillation to restart the heart, and 4) Post resuscitation care in a hospital. All links in the chain must be strong, and CPR and defibrillation must be provided within 4 minutes for the best chance of survival, followed by advanced life support within 8 minutes.

Uploaded by

Hatem Farouk
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chain of Survival

The interventions that contribute to survival after a cardiac arrest can be seen as a chain – the Chain of Survival.

A term first coined by the American Heart Association in 1991, their paper ‘Improving Survival from Sudden Cardiac
Arrest: The Chain of Survival Concept’ highlights that all communities should recognise and adopt the principle of early CPR
and defibrillation.

The Chain of Survival is just a serious of steps (forming a virtual “chain”) which give the best chance of survival from a
cardiac arrest (when the heart stops beating).

If all the steps of the chain are followed promptly, then the victim has the best chance of surviving the cardiac arrest.

The chain is only as strong as its weakest link; all four links of the Chain of Survival must be strong. They are:
1. Early Recognition and Call for Help – to prevent cardiac arrest
This refers to an individual being able to recognise the signs of a sudden cardiac arrest and get help.
There are often no symptoms before a cardiac arrest happens, however if someone is in sudden cardiac arrest
they:
 Won’t be responsive
 Won’t be breathing or breathing normally
If you come across someone who you think is in sudden cardiac arrest, immediately call 999 and start CPR.
Early contact should be made to the emergency services after a cardiac arrest is recognised. In addition, serious
conditions which may lead to a cardiac arrest (e.g: a heart attack) should be recognised and emergency medical
help called for promptly.

2. Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation – to buy time


Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be commenced immediately after a cardiac arrest has occurred (ie,
the patient has stopped breathing) in order to keep a person’s heart going until a defibrillator arrives.

3. Early defibrillation – to restart the heart


A defibrillator is an electrical device which delivers a shock to the heart in an attempt to correct any abnormal
electrical activity which has caused the cardiac arrest. For every minute that passes without defibrillation, the
individual’s chance of survival decreases by 10%.

4. Post resuscitation care – to restore quality of life


Appropriate advanced post-resuscitation care in a hospital is essential to improving long term survival for the
patient. This care should be accessed as quickly as possible after the cardiac arrest has occurred.

 In order for the patient to have the best chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, CPR and early
defibrillation must be provided within the first 4 minutes of the cardiac arrest (the American Heart Association
recommends 3 minutes), followed by Advanced Life Support within the first 8 minutes of the arrest.

 Advanced life support should arrive within eight minutes for the best chance of survival.

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