The Impact of ACLS Training in the Management of Cardiac Arrest: A Narrative Review
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Research Concept
2.2. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
- Patients aged 18 years and older;
- Intrahospital setting (IHCA);
- Out-of-hospital setting (OHCA);
- Cardiac arrest.
- Age younger than 18 years;
- Trauma patients.
2.3. Research Strategy
3. Results
Main Findings
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
PUBMED | ((heart arrest [Title/Abstract]) OR (cardiac arrest[Title/Abstract]) OR (heart arrest[MeSH Terms]) OR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation[MeSH Terms]) OR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation[Title/Abstract]) OR (blue code[title/abstract])) AND ((ALS [title/abstract]) OR (Advance life support [title/abstract]) OR (ACLS [Title/Abstract]) OR (Advanced Cardiac Life Support[MeSH Terms]) OR (Advanced Cardiac Life Support[Title/Abstract])) AND ((mortality[Title/Abstract]) OR (mortality[MeSH Terms])) |
EMBASE |
(‘heart arrest’: ti,ab OR ‘cardiac arrest’: ti,ab OR ‘heart arrest’/exp
OR ‘cardiopulmonary resuscitation’/exp OR ‘cardiopulmonary resuscitation’: ti,ab OR ‘blue code’: ti,ab) AND (‘als’: ti,ab OR ‘advance life support’: ti,ab OR ‘acls’: ti,ab OR ‘advanced cardiac life support’/exp OR ‘advanced cardiac life support’: ti,ab) AND (‘mortality’: ti,ab OR ‘mortality’/exp) |
COCHRANE |
1-MeSH descriptor: [Heart Arrest] explode all trees 2882
2-‘heart arrest’: ti,ab OR ‘cardiac arrest’: ti,ab OR ‘cardiopulmonary resuscitation’: ti,ab OR ‘blue code’: ti,ab 6450 3-‘ALS’: ti,ab OR ‘Advance life support’: ti,ab OR ‘ACLS’: ti,ab OR ‘Advanced Cardiac Life Support’: ti,ab OR ‘ACLS’: ti,ab 3550 4-MeSH descriptor: [Mortality] explode all trees 21876 5-‘mortality’: ti,ab OR ‘death’: ti,ab OR ‘rosc’: ti,ab 135505 (#1 OR #2) AND (#3) AND (#4 OR #5) 143 |
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First Author, Year, Country | Journal | Type of the Study | Setting | Sample | Outcomes | Main Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kourek, 2020, European Union [32] | European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing | Observational, cross-sectional multicenter study | IHCA | -- | Correlation between ACLS guidelines knowledge and ROSC rates in the selected hospitals | Correlation between cardiopulmonary resuscitation knowledge and ROSC rates of patients with IHCA demonstrated that each additional correct answer on the advanced life support score results in a further increase in return of spontaneous circulation rates. |
Kurz, 2018, USA [26] | Resuscitation | Retrospective study | OHCA | 35,065 patients | Survival to hospital discharge; prehospital ROSC; 24-h survival, and favorable neurological survival defined as a modified Rankin score ≤ 3 At hospital discharge | ALS care with or without initial BLS care was independently associated with increased adjusted ROSC and survival to hospital discharge unless delivered greater than 6 min after BLS arrival (BLS + late ALS). |
Grunau, 2019, Canada [27] | Resuscitation | Secondary analysis of consecutive adult OHCAs | OHCA | 12,722 patients | Survival and favorable neurological outcomes (modified Rankin scale ≤ 3) at hospital discharge | ALS response interval (per minute) was associated with decreased survival and a favorable neurological outcome. ALS response ≤ 10 min was associated with improved survival and favorable neurological outcomes. Earlier ALS arrival was associated with improved survival and favorable neurological outcomes. |
Larribau, 2018, Switzerland [36] | PloS One | Retrospective observational study | OHCA | 795 patients | Survival to hospital discharge; ROSC | The prognosis of patient survival at the time of hospital discharge rose from 10.33% in 2009–2010 to 17.01% in 2011–2012 (p = 0.007). Survival rate for OHCA patients improved significantly in 2011–2012. These data suggest that it was probably the improvement in the quality of care provided during CPR and post-cardiac arrest care that contributed to the increase in survival rates at the time of hospital discharge. |
Honarmand, 2018, Canada [29] | Resuscitation | Retrospective study | IHCA | 160 patients | ROSC and survival to hospital discharge | There were fewer deviations during events that led to survival to hospital discharge compared to those where the patient did not survive to hospital discharge. A higher number of deviations from ACLS guidelines during resuscitation events was associated with a lower likelihood of not only ROSC, but also survival to hospital discharge. |
Pareek, 2018, India [35] | Indian Journal of Anaesthesia | Retrospective study | IHCA | 632 patients | ROSC and survival to discharge | During the pre-BLS/ACLS training period of the 294 Cardiac arrest patients, 58 patients (19.7%), had ROSC, while during the post-BLS/ACLS training period, 102 patients (30.1%) of the 338 patients who had cardiac arrest had ROSC (p = 0.003). |
McEvoy, USA, 2013 [31] | Resuscitation | Retrospective study | IHCA | 149 patients | ROSC | The percentage of correct steps performed was positively correlated with ROSC from an IHCA (p < 0.01), and the number of errors of commission and omission were both negatively correlated with ROSC from an IHCA (p < 0.01). |
Kette, 2007, Italy [28] | Resuscitation | Prospective, multicenter study | OHCA | 194 patients | Survival to hospital discharge | Compared results of two studies of the same research group (1994–2003), the rate of VF or pulseless VT as presenting rhythm reduced with a rate of return of spontaneous circulation of 69.2% and survival to hospital discharge of 41%. Hospital discharge for asystole or pulseless electrical activity remained drab (3.1% and 1.7%). |
Moretti, 2007, Brazil [30] | Resuscitation | Multicenter, prospective cohort study | IHCA | 156 patients | ROSC; survival to hospital discharge, survival to 30 days, and survival to 1 year | The presence of an ACLS-trained team member at an in-hospital resuscitation event increases ROSC, short-term, and long-term survival following cardiac arrest. |
Camp, 1997, USA [33] | Annals of Emergency Medicine | Retrospective study | IHCA | 236 patients | Survival to hospital discharge | There was a three-period study. Before, during, and after the organization of an ACLS teaching program. There were 893 total death events in the early period and 485 in the final period. After widespread ACLS training, there was a decrease in death events. |
Birnbaum, 1994, USA [34] | Critical care medicine | Case–controlled, retrospective study | IHCA | 869 patients | Nurses and physicians’ behaviors; mortality rate | Rates of successful attainment of the terminal behavior objectives by physicians and nurses were 84.0% and 78.8%, respectively. The mortality rates decreased from 17.4% in the period before the training to 13.1% after the ACLS course. |
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Di Fronzo, P.; Gaetti, G.; Marcassa, D.; Gervasi, V.; Dardour, O.; Pedretti, A.; Gambolò, L. The Impact of ACLS Training in the Management of Cardiac Arrest: A Narrative Review. Epidemiologia 2025, 6, 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/epidemiologia6040061
Di Fronzo P, Gaetti G, Marcassa D, Gervasi V, Dardour O, Pedretti A, Gambolò L. The Impact of ACLS Training in the Management of Cardiac Arrest: A Narrative Review. Epidemiologia. 2025; 6(4):61. https://doi.org/10.3390/epidemiologia6040061
Chicago/Turabian StyleDi Fronzo, Pasquale, Giovanni Gaetti, Daniel Marcassa, Valeria Gervasi, Oumaiema Dardour, Andrea Pedretti, and Luca Gambolò. 2025. "The Impact of ACLS Training in the Management of Cardiac Arrest: A Narrative Review" Epidemiologia 6, no. 4: 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/epidemiologia6040061
APA StyleDi Fronzo, P., Gaetti, G., Marcassa, D., Gervasi, V., Dardour, O., Pedretti, A., & Gambolò, L. (2025). The Impact of ACLS Training in the Management of Cardiac Arrest: A Narrative Review. Epidemiologia, 6(4), 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/epidemiologia6040061