Executive Summary:

Cardiac deaths are highest cause of death in Bangladesh. Trauma, burn, poisoning and snake bite are commonly encountered in the emergency room of a hospital. Road traffic injuries, fire, collapse of a building etc. are sometimes bad to rush of a large number of patients to the emergency department of the hospitals. All service provides them should be prepared to provide life saving services without any delay.

This manual, when combined with classroom education, will better prepare medical professionals in Bangladesh to identify patients at risk for cardiac arrest and trauma related emergencies, and provide essential life-saving skills. The course will build a foundation for emergency cardiac resuscitations by providing the essential basic and advanced life support knowledge and skills required.

The information contained in the educational manual is based on the current international standards, guidelines, and best practices. As much as possible, an evidence based approach to emergency medical care is used. Detailed references are included so the course participant can personally review the associated research or international standards.

The course participants are strongly encouraged to integrate the skills into their clinical practice. Some of the advanced procedures require specialized equipment, including cardiac defibrillation or intubation supplies, which are not available in all hospitals or patient wards. The science of cardiac resuscitation is dynamic and rapidly developing and changing. International boards and panels of experts in resuscitation science carefully review and update guidelines on a regular basis. This training manual is an adaption of the current international standards and recommendations into the current context of Bangladesh.