The Chain of Survival is the sequence of linked actions that gives a person in cardiac arrest the best chance of a good outcome: early recognition and calling emergency services, early CPR, early defibrillation, and advanced care followed by recovery. Each link depends on the one before it, and the first three links belong to bystanders, not professionals. Understanding the chain explains why every other skill in this curation matters and where it fits. Whenever cardiac arrest is suspected, activating emergency services immediately is the first link — never delay that call.
The Chain of Survival is the sequence of linked actions that gives someone in cardiac arrest the best chance of a good outcome: early recognition and calling for help, early CPR, early defibrillation…