American Heart Association Guidelines 2020 To Be Released

The American Heart Association is releasing its 2020 Guidelines on October 21, 2020 via a live stream event. This time is looked upon with both interest and dread as educators and practitioners anticipate changes to practice, apps, books, and other teaching materials.

Ten years ago, the 2010 guidelines brought about seismic shifts in practice. Not only did we lose the tried and true “A-B-C” mantra in cardiac arrest, but we were also told that oxygen…(gasp!)…may actually be harmful in some situations. These changes required revisions in almost every chapter of EMS texts—and paradigm shifts in practice that we struggled with until… 2015.

The 2015 guidelines were less traumatic. They upheld and validated 2010 guideline changes and added some modifications. But the material wasn’t anywhere nearly as dramatic as 2010.

So now, AHA watchers wonder what will happen with the 2020 guidelines. In such a large and social media active community like medicine and EMS, it is impressive that the AHA keeps such a tight lid on the guidelines prior to the release. Information about new Apple and Android devices leak more than these guidelines.

Several things tend to make us believe that the guideline changes won’t be dramatic on the clinical side. ILCOR questions, often a forecaster of changes, have been low-key. Plus, the AHA released updates yearly the past several years. Their announcement indicates that the structure and format of the guidelines may change. We are all hoping for quiet clinical waters.

2020 AHA Guidelines and Test Prep Apps

Rest assured that Limmer Education will be watching when the guidelines are released. Our app updates will begin immediately. It isn’t our first rodeo. We understand the anxiety surrounding students who are testing during this time. We strategically plan our updates to consider the needs of these students and coincide with:

• NREMT implementation. Minor changes may result in a quick alignment of the NREMT question database. In the 2010 update, the NREMT didn’t begin testing the guidelines until January 1, 2012. We will monitor this and align our changes with the test.
• The student cycle. We know when courses start and end—and how and when students will be testing. We want students who buy one of our products to know it has the information they will need for the test. Up-to-date and reliable.
• Our technical abilities. Limmer Education has invested in our platform so you don’t have to update your apps on the app store or wonder whether the online LC-Ready.com products include the latest information. When it is time to publish the new guideline material, we just push a button. Your apps will automatically sync with the server the next time you are online. You may not have noticed this before, but we periodically add or revise content and push it out to our users on the fly.

Being accurate, dependable, and ready—much like the EMS provider themselves—is how we maintain our reputation for quality products on a platform you can depend on. We were there for the 2010 and 2015 guideline changes. We’ll be here for these. We’re looking forward to where 2025 takes us. Limmer Education is here for you.