National Guidelines of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation by Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) facilities are limited in most parts of the country as no widely accepted CPR practice guideline has yet been drafted in the Indian sub-continent. The mortality and morbidity associated with sudden cardiac arrest are very high and there is an emergent need to develop good CPR infrastructure and adequate trained manpower in our country. The Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists (ISA) has published the National Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in the November issue of Indian Journal of Anaesthesia (IJA).

The guidelines have been developed with algorithms which are suited to the infrastructure and resources available in our country. The guidelines drafted are short, simple, precise, have a short easy to remember algorithm and are targeted to train less educated people.CPR guidelines currently taught and followed in most parts of our country are from the western world and need long training, are expensive to run, dependant on expensive resuscitation equipment and meant for countries with better-developed facilities. No Automated Defibrillator Devices are available in most parts of the country.

The ISA formed a Resuscitation Council to develop these guidelines and plan out their implementation across the country. The council has come out with three basic guidelines.

1. One for laymen [Compression-only Life Support (COLS)]


2. One for medics/paramedics to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims outside hospitals [Basic Cardiopulmonary Life Support (BCLS)]


3. For medics/paramedics to resuscitate in-hospital cardiac arrest victims [Comprehensive Cardiopulmonary Life Support (CCLS)].

The ISA aims to develop a successful, vibrant and model resuscitation program. Training modules, based on these guidelines, are being developed by ISA to develop a large pool of trainers. Active citizen participation in continuous education and awareness programs are planned using social, print and audio-visual media. The ISA plans to involve the bureaucracy and the government in the campaign to run the program effectively on a long-term basis.

The three stand-alone guidelines are available through the following links:

1. Compression-only Life Support (COLS) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation by layperson outside the hospital. Download Link: http://www.ijaweb.org/text.asp?2017/61/11/867/218099


2. Basic Cardiopulmonary Life Support (BCLS) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation by trained paramedics and medics outside the hospital. Download Link: http://www.ijaweb.org/text.asp?2017/61/11/874/218100


3. Comprehensive Cardiopulmonary Life Support (CCLS) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation by trained paramedics and medics inside the hospital. Download Link: http://www.ijaweb.org/text.asp?2017/61/11/883/218102

The accompanying Editorial and Commentary are available on.

1. Editorial: Kapoor MC, Rao SC, Mishra BB. Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines: Ushering in a new initiative. Download link: http://www.ijaweb.org/text.asp?2017/61/11/865/218101


2. Commentary: Trichur RV. Need for resuscitation registry in India based on Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines. Download link: http://www.ijaweb.org/text.asp?2017/61/11/895/218103