New Guidelines Assist Rescuers in Drowning and First Aid Crises

New Guidelines Assist Rescuers in Drowning and First Aid Crises

The Association and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a joint focused update on resuscitation following drowning. In addition, the Association and American Red Cross (ARC) announced new Guidelines for First Aid. These updates to drowning resuscitation and first aid are informed by evidence from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) and provide fresh insights for anyone that may find themselves in the role of rescuer. The strategies better inform how to approach both routine medical needs and life-threatening emergencies alike, reinforcing many well-known practices but also making a few changes that may be surprising.

 

First, in the 2024 American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics Focused Update on Special Circumstances: Resuscitation Following Drowning , the Association and the AAP introduced updates to both the Drowning Chain of Survival and In-Water Rescue Breathing guidelines, focused on improving recognition, action, and safety in drowning scenarios for both trained and untrained rescuers. The updated recommendations still emphasize prevention, early recognition, and quality resuscitation to improve drowning outcomes, but now they also underscore the importance of quickly delivering oxygen to the person. Previously considered a situational practice, these latest guidelines recommend that trained responders initiate in-water rescue breathing to improve outcomes so long as it does not pose a danger to themselves or to the person.

 

Separately, the 2024 American Heart Association and American Red Cross Guidelines for First Aid represent the first comprehensive update since 2010! Incorporating lessons from more than a decade of research and review, these Guidelines detail best practices to treat high-incident illnesses, injuries, and environmental crises. As a part of this, the Association has also updated its “10 Take Home First Aid Messages” — easy-to-remember tips for common crisis scenarios. The 10 Messages provide guidance for everyday individuals facing situations ranging from low concern, such as simple bleeds and tick bites, to critical emergencies, including stroke and suspected opioid overdose.

 

For a deeper dive into these updates and more, ILCOR’s 8th annual summary on resuscitation research published in Circulation is essential reading for professionals committed to delivering informed, effective care.

 

The discussion of opioid overdose was a major topic of discussion and learning at the Resuscitation Science Symposium (ReSS) on 15th of November. ReSS is an international forum geared towards health care professionals with lively conversations focusing on recent advancements in cardiopulmonary and resuscitation science. One of the highlights at ReSS, Kids Saves Lives writing group was selected to receive the 2024 Ian G. Jacobs Award for the International Group Collaboration to Advance Resuscitation Science. This award was established in 2010 to recognize international collaboration among individuals over an extended period that resulted in major contributions to fundamental or clinical science related to cardiac arrest or traumatic injury. The Kids Saves Lives Writing Group was recognized for this award by training school children in cardiopulmonary resuscitation worldwide, led by Prof. Dr. Bernd W. Böttiger and others. Providing resuscitation training in schools has measurable effects, and by a “multiplier effect,” it can increase the lay bystander resuscitation rate and the survival rate. Learn more about this educational outreach here .