[Guidelines for advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation of adult patients. European Resuscitation Council].

In this paper 16 experts from ten different countries present an abridged version of the 1998 European Resuscitation Council guidelines for advanced adult life support. There are few changes from the 1992 version, and they are mainly made for educational reasons. There is thus no convincing new scientific evidence that warrants changes in the guidelines. While there previously were three separate algorithms for ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia, asystole and electromechanical dissociation, there is now only one algorithm. The ventilation volume has been reduced to 400-600 ml, and the chest compression frequency has been increased to 100 min-1. For other rhythms than ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia, ventilation and chest compressions should now be performed for three minute periods, not one minute as used to be the rule. One minute is still the correct period for ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia.