ACLS — Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support — Study Guide
Free, topic-by-topic study notes for the ACLS — Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support exam. Read a chapter, then practice it.
High-Quality BLS & AED
High-quality BLS is the foundation of every ACLS resuscitation — no drug or advanced airway compensates for poor compressions. This chapter covers the compression metrics, minimizing interruptions, and integrating the AED that give a patient the best chance of survival.
Airway Management & Ventilation
Oxygenation and ventilation support the arrest and post-arrest patient, but they must never come at the cost of good compressions. This chapter covers bag-mask technique, advanced airways, and confirming placement with waveform capnography.
ACLS Pharmacology
A small set of drugs appears again and again across the ACLS algorithms. Knowing each drug's dose, route, and indication cold lets you support the team without slowing the code.
Rhythm Recognition (ECG)
Fast, correct rhythm identification decides which arm of the algorithm you follow. This chapter separates shockable from non-shockable arrest rhythms and reviews the tachy- and brady-rhythms you must recognize.
Cardiac Arrest Algorithms
The Adult Cardiac Arrest Algorithm organizes the chaos of a code into a repeatable 2-minute cycle. This chapter walks the shockable and non-shockable pathways and the reversible causes you must hunt for.
Bradycardia & Tachycardia
For patients WITH a pulse, the central question is whether they are stable or unstable — that judgment drives everything from drugs to electricity. This chapter covers the adult bradycardia and tachycardia algorithms.
ACS, Stroke & Post-Arrest Care
ACLS extends beyond the arrest itself to the time-critical emergencies around it — acute coronary syndromes, acute stroke, and the fragile period after ROSC. Each has its own chain of survival built on speed.
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