Dr Kola Tytler MBBS CertHE MBA MRCGPClinical Lead • iatroX
Key differences between adult Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) protocols in the UK:
- Basic Life Support (BLS) focuses on immediate life-saving interventions such as airway management using basic manoeuvres and adjuncts, chest compressions, and rescue breaths to maintain circulation and oxygenation until advanced help arrives.
- Advanced Life Support (ALS)
- ALS providers are trained to perform invasive procedures such as surgical airway placement if RSI fails, and to use advanced airway devices like supraglottic devices when appropriate.
- ALS includes the use of advanced monitoring and interventions such as intravenous drug administration, defibrillation, and advanced cardiac rhythm management, which are beyond the scope of BLS.
- In trauma care, ALS protocols emphasize rapid assessment and management of airway, breathing, and circulation with advanced techniques, including drug-assisted airway management and preparation for definitive care at major trauma centres.
- BLS is typically performed by first responders and ambulance crews trained in basic airway management and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, while ALS is delivered by paramedics or clinicians with advanced training and equipment.
These distinctions reflect the escalation from fundamental life-saving techniques in BLS to comprehensive, invasive, and pharmacological interventions in ALS, aimed at stabilizing critically ill or injured adults in the pre-hospital and hospital settings in the UK NICE NG39,NICE NG40.