E
A letter from American
Heart Association ECC Programs -
Director of Training
National Center
7272 Greenville
Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75231-4596
Tel 1-888-CPR-LINE
www.americanheart.org
April 5, 2005
Dear partners in the American
Heart Association Training Network:
This is an exciting and
productive time for the American Heart Association’s Emergency
Cardiovascular Care Programs. As you know, 2005 marks the review of
current and new resuscitation science and the reevaluation and update of
Guidelines 2000 for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency
Cardiovascular Care. The outcome of this process impacts you as a
member of the AHA Training Network, as well as the customers you train.
This letter is the first of several communications you will receive
communicating to you the critical information you need to continue to
provide training and prepare for the release of new Guidelines.
The process of updating
Guidelines for 2005 began almost as soon as the 2000 Guidelines were
released. Since 2001, the world’s top experts in resuscitation and
cardiovascular science have been meeting to review current and new
science, and to come to an international consensus on science and
treatment recommendations for 2005. Based on this international
consensus and input from leaders in many professional healthcare
organizations, AHA ECC will develop the 2005 American Heart
Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency
Cardiovascular Care. The Guidelines will be published in December
2005, and will be used as the foundation for creating updated training
materials, which will be released throughout 2006.
Throughout the process of
releasing Guidelines and new products, the need for training will
continue, and it is critical that Training Centers continue to provide
courses to everyone that needs training in the healthcare, corporate,
and public environments. For example, many corporations continue to
implement AED programs and need training to support implementation.
They are adopting these
programs to save lives and we need to provide training to them without
delay. Also, regardless of discipline, each year, the AHA receives more
than 300,000 phone calls requesting help in finding an AHA BLS
(including Heartsaver®), ACLS, or PALS course. Despite the Guidelines
update process, providers will continue to need and seek training, and
delivering training to them cannot wait. Current course materials will
be available during the update process and should be used until new
materials are released. As you begin to plan and budget your Training
Center’s needs for 2006 and beyond, please consider the following
timeline:
December 2005
♥
The American Heart
Association will publish the 2005 American Heart Association
Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency
Cardiovascular Care. This document first will be published in the
journal Circulation, then will be available as a reprint through
the AHA distributors.
♥
The winter issue of
Currents will feature a summary of key changes to the ECC
Guidelines. This issue of Currents, as well as all other issues,
are/will be available free of charge on the AHA Web site at
www.americanheart.org/cpr.
January 2006
♥
Interim guidance on how
to integrate changes in resuscitation science into specific, current ECC
course materials will be provided to Instructors and Training Centers.
This will ensure that current training materials can be utilized prior
to the release of new training materials in 2006, enabling you to
continue to meet the needs of your customers.
♥
The AHA Handbook of
Emergency Care for Healthcare Providers will be released.
January – June 2006
♥
All Basic Life Support
(BLS) course materials, including Basic Life Support for Healthcare
Providers, all Heartsaver® (including Heartsaver® First Aid), and
Family & Friends community materials will be released. This will include
instructor and student materials, exams, and all other auxiliary
materials.
July – September 2006
♥
All Advanced
Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) course materials will be released.
This will include instructor and student materials, exams, and all other
auxiliary materials.
October – December 2006
♥
All Pediatric Advanced
Life Support (PALS) course materials will be released. This will include
instructor and student materials, exams, and all other auxiliary
materials. As the release of the 2005 Guidelines and new materials draws
near, we will work diligently to keep you informed about any changes or
updates to the above timeline. In the meantime, please feel free to
contact your ECC Service
Center with any questions. We appreciate your commitment to providing
lifesaving ECC training. Stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Jo Haag
Director of Training
