The Immediate Life Support course is a multidisciplinary 1-day course which provides the essential knowledge and skills that are important in the initial phase of treating a critically ill patient who needs resuscitation. Therefore, it is ideally suited for the training of healthcare providers at all stages and levels.
It provides training in more diagnostic skills than the BLS course and expands core knowledge and teaches airway management skills, ECG recognition and rapid, safe defibrillation, using an AED or a manual defibrillator. The concept follows closely that of the ALS course, but focuses only on the core knowledge and skills appropriate for most healthcare providers. The course aims to be the first-line resuscitation course for healthcare professionals.
Course programme
| Skill Stations & Lecture | Cardiac Arrest Simulation Teaching scenarios (CASTeach) |
|---|---|
| Skill Station 1: High-quality chest compression & defibrillationSkill Station 2: The deteriorating patientSkill Station 3: Managing the airway & obtaining intraosseous accessSkill Station 4: Basic Life Support & Targeted training*Lecture: "The ALS algorithm incl. non-technical skills" | CASTeach 1: Treatment of shockable rhythmsCASTeach 2: Treatment of non-shockable rhythmsCASTeach 3: Decision-making during resuscitationCASTeach 4: Post-resuscitation care |
*(e.g. monitoring, rhythm recognition and 12-lead ECG, arterial blood gas analysis and waveform capnography, hypovolaemia, trauma, asthma, anaphylaxis, electrolyte disorders, pregnancy, hypothermia, perioperative cardiac arrest, drowning, obesity, advanced training in non-technical skills, advanced training in airway management, advanced training in intraosseous access, equipment)
At the moment there are no specific restrictions or requirements to attend the course, other than being a healthcare professional.
In the future, pre-course preparation and a pre-course test will become mandatory. The platform providing this preparation will be the new European Resuscitation Council Course System (CoSy).