• Choking Relief (FBAO): For conscious adults and children with severe foreign-body airway obstructions, the AHA now recommends alternating cycles of 5 back slaps followed by 5 abdominal thrusts (moving away from previous recommendations like the LifeVac). For infants, use cycles of 5 back slaps followed by 5 chest thrusts, specifically utilizing the heel of one hand in the center of the chest.

• Universal Chain of Survival: The previous separate chains have been consolidated into a single universal six-link chain of survival covering both adults and children in in-hospital and out-of-hospital settings.

• Opioid Overdoses: The use of opioid antagonists (such as naloxone/Narcan) is formally integrated into the adult BLS algorithms for suspected opioid-related respiratory or cardiac arrest.

• Ventilation & Rescue Breaths:
• Give enough tidal volume to produce visible chest rise while strictly avoiding hypoventilation and hyperventilation.
• For respiratory arrest (pulse present), provide 1 breath every 6 seconds (about 10 breaths per minute).
• High-Quality Chest Compressions:
• Continue prioritizing high-quality compressions with minimal interruptions (10 seconds or less for healthcare providers).
• Perform compressions with the patient's torso roughly at the level of the rescuer's knees.
• Avoid mechanical chest compression devices (such as the LUCAS device) in most routine scenarios in favor of hands-on compressions.

Terminology Updates: Standardized terms differentiate "lay rescuers" (previously bystanders), "breaths" (for lay rescuers providing assisted breathing), and "ventilations" (for healthcare providers using medical devices).