Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and acute cardiovascular life support--a protocol review of the updated guidelines.

For the first time in 5 years, new guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of adults and children were introduced at the end of November 2005. The new CPR guidelines evolved from emerging evidence-based resuscitation studies and the evaluation process included the input of 281 international resuscitation experts who evaluated hypotheses, topics, and research over a 36-month period. The process included evidence evaluation, review of the literature, and focused analysis. This article reviews the four major changes to the guidelines. Changes are currently being made in the training of all new and recertifying ACLS health care providers.