Specific recommendations made for adult, pediatric, neonatal life support; resuscitation education; systems of care
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Guidance has been updated for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and emergency cardiovascular care, as presented in articles published online Oct. 22 in Circulation.
Ian R. Drennan, Ph.D., and colleagues from the American Heart Association Guidelines Highlights Project Team revised lifesaving resuscitation guidelines, marking the first revision since 2020. Specific recommendations were made for adult, pediatric, and neonatal life support; resuscitation education science; and systems of care.
The guidelines recommend alternating five back blows followed by five abdominal thrusts for choking in conscious children and adults until the object is expelled or the person becomes unresponsive. For choking in infants, guidance has been updated to alternate between five back blows and five chest thrusts using the heel of one hand until the foreign object is expelled or the infant becomes unresponsive. A new algorithm for treating suspected opioid overdose is provided in the guidelines, including guidance relating to public access on naloxone use. A single chain of survival is presented for all forms of cardiac arrest, including in adults and children, in or out of the hospital. Children aged 12 years or older can be taught effective CPR and defibrillation. Media campaigns, instructor-led training, and community training are recommended to improve lay-rescuer response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
“We know high-quality CPR saves lives, and we need dedicated support to ensure that everyone who needs high-quality CPR receives it,” Ashish Panchal, M.D., Ph.D., volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science Committee, said in a statement. “That starts with learning it yourself.”
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