According to the BLS-PCS Patient Management Standard, section 3b: “The paramedic shall: perform appropriate critical interventions to establish/improve and maintain airway patency, ventilation, and circulation, which include: initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as per current Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Guidelines and as per the Cardiac Arrest Standards, if the patient is VSA (perform appropriate cardiac arrest medical directives as outlined by the ALS-PCS).

As you can see there is a lot of overlap and reference to different guidelines and standards. The reason for this is to ensure that there is no discrepancy between paramedic practice and evidence-based guidelines, per the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, which are based on annual guideline focused updates published by the American Heart Association and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (AHA and ECC) Committees. This overlap model ensures that any changes to practice are able to be implemented as soon as they are published.

However, this model can make finding quick information difficult. For example, pediatric specific CPR nuances, as discussed in this year’s CME. To assist with finding this life-saving information quickly, there is a CPR Guidelines section that is found within the Provincial App. It can be found by searching for “CPR” or under PRIMARY CARE PARAMEDIC > Medical References > CPR Guidelines.

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