Cardiologists’ Knowledge and Perception towards American Heart Association Guidelines of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; a Letter to Editor

Sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) pose massive threats to millions of lives worldwide. Latest statistics report an annual death count of approximately 17.9 million for cardiovascular diseases (1). SCA has caused 15% of these deaths (2) and is considered a major threat in both out-of-hospital and in-hospital settings. Early identification and prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential to increase the survival rate of SCA patients from about 50% to 70% (3). To accomplish this increment, it is cardinal for each physician to be versed with the protocols of basic life support (BLS) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). Inadequacy with reference to both knowledge and awareness of guidelines has been witnessed in various low-income, lower-middle income, and middle-income countries such as Greece, India, and Nigeria (4-6). A study showed a significant lack of knowledge and practical approach regarding emergency cardiovascular care (ECC), among junior healthcare professionals (7). Once training has been undertaken, it is indicated that skills may decline in a year, especially if not frequently performed or reviewed (8). Several studies from Pakistan have identified similar knowledge deficits regarding resuscitation guidelines among healthcare professionals (9, 10); however, no such research has been solely aimed at cardiologists. We, surveyed cardiologists’ theoretical knowledge of resuscitation guidelines, with an additional set of questions directed to test presumptive correlational factors, in National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD