Singapore Basic Cardiac Life Support and Automated External Defibrillation Guidelines 2026

Basic cardiac life support and automated external defibrillation refer to the skills required for resuscitation of a cardiac arrest casualty. On recognising cardiac arrest, the rescuer should call '995' for an ambulance and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. High-quality chest compressions are performed with the arms extended, elbows locked, shoulders directly perpendicular over the casualty's chest and the heel of the palm placed on the lower half of the sternum. The rescuer compresses to a depth of 4-6 cm for adults, at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute, allowing complete chest recoil after each compression. Two quick ventilations of 400-600 mL each are delivered via a bag-valve-mask (or mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-mask if trained and able) after 30 chest compressions (or 15 chest compressions for casualties under 12 years of age). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be stopped when the casualty regains consciousness, the emergency team takes over care, or when an automated external defibrillator analyses the heart rhythm or delivers a shock.