The development of standards and guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiac care in the United States.

There have been four major conferences since 1966 which have produced standards and guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiac care. These events and publications have served as the principal source and direction for the American Heart Association to develop training programmes for the treatment of sudden cardiac death. The process of standard setting and programme implementation has been very successful in stimulating lay public, health care professional and paraprofessional interest in cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques. The results of the national campaign may result in as many as 100,000 to 200,000 lives saved per year and successful resuscitation rates from out of hospital sudden death via the chain of survival concept reaching 30% in the United States.

Patient Criteria & Setting