2025 Guidelines for CPR & Emergency Cardiovascular Care
The comprehensive current AHA guidance for resuscitation science, systems, protocols and education.
Read the official guidelines →Source-connected education
Resuscitation Science & Training Updates
A practical guide to official CPR and first aid guidance, ongoing evidence evaluation and emerging research—always linked to the original source.
Source-linked science updatesUpdated . Manually reviewed resources, with official guidance clearly separated from developing evidence. Review scope and limitations.
Current official guidance
The foundation used today
These official publications are the current starting point for CPR, emergency cardiovascular care and first aid education. Always use the linked source for the complete guidance.
2024 Guidelines for First Aid
Official evidence-based first aid recommendations published jointly by the AHA and American Red Cross.
View official first aid guidance →How to read this page
Evidence and guidance are not the same thing
Practice recommendations
Published guidelines, focused updates and formal scientific statements from recognized organizations.
Science under evaluation
Systematic reviews and consensus work that may inform future recommendations but should not automatically be treated as a practice change.
New findings
Recently published research that may be important, but does not by itself replace current guidelines or course requirements.
Plain-language context
Our source-linked explanation of why an item may matter. Valley notes are educational and never replace the official publication.
Primary source directory
Follow the science at its source
Use these primary sources for CPR, AED, first aid, ACLS, PALS and resuscitation-education developments. These links are not an automatically refreshed news feed.
AHA
Scientific Statements & Guidelines Feed
Official AHA newsroom feeds for scientific statements, guidelines and related announcements.
Open source → ILCORContinuous Evidence Evaluation
International consensus reviews that help inform resuscitation council guidelines.
Open source → AHAECC Digital Digest
Expert discussion and resources focused on resuscitation science and emergency cardiovascular care.
Open source → CirculationLatest Peer-Reviewed Research
New cardiovascular and resuscitation-related research from the AHA's flagship journal.
Open source →Selected source updates
What matters for training and readiness
Cardiovascular readiness for tactical athletes
The AHA announcement covers a new joint statement addressing cardiovascular care for firefighters, EMS, law enforcement and other tactical professionals. It emphasizes emergency action plans and rapid AED access alongside individualized medical evaluation.
This is occupational cardiovascular guidance, not a replacement for CPR course materials or an individual fitness-for-duty determination. Summary based on the official announcement.
Read the AHA announcement →Adult cardiac-arrest vascular access
ILCOR revised its IV-versus-IO evidence review after an included trial was retracted. The document states that its overall conclusions did not change. The website labels this document as a draft; it is not a new standalone Valley Rescue Training protocol.
Read the ILCOR review →Temperature management after pediatric cardiac arrest
A draft systematic review evaluates temperature targets and treatment duration after pediatric cardiac arrest. It describes important uncertainty in the evidence. Follow applicable clinical protocols and medical direction; a draft review does not independently change PALS course requirements.
Read the ILCOR review →Review scope and limitations — September 17, 2026
This is a selected educational update, not an exhaustive literature review. The AHA CPR/ECC and first-aid guideline hubs, focused-update and highlights pages, ECC Digital Digest, AHA scientific-statements RSS feed, and ILCOR CoSTR listings were checked. Relevant documents summarized above were read. The AHA hubs continue to feature 2025 CPR/ECC guidance and 2024 first-aid guidance.
The ECC Digital Digest includes historical material; its older resources should not be confused with current course guidance. The AHA feed entries were screened for relevance, and the September 3 tactical-athlete announcement was reviewed.
Remaining limitation: Circulation’s latest-research listing could not be accessed, so a complete scan of its newest papers has not been verified. The tactical-athlete statement was verified through the official AHA announcement, not a full-text appraisal of the journal paper. No claim of a complete all-source review or instructor approval is made.
Updates are reviewed manually. New evidence does not automatically change clinical protocols or course requirements.
Educational information only: This page is not medical advice, a clinical protocol or a substitute for official guidelines, employer policies, medical direction or required course materials.
Turn current science into confident skills
Explore available courses or arrange practical training for your workplace, department, school or organization.