The New 2025 ACLS guidelines have been in effect since October 2025 when the American Heart Association released the most recent guideline changes for BLS, ACLS, and PALS. Furthermore, these guidelines will be good through 2030 when the AHA meets again to revise and make updates.
There were some minor changes to the ACLS Guidelines. If you learned ACLS from the 2020 AHA Guidelines, the 2025 guidelines will feel familiar but more precise, with changes that matter most in drug timing, certain doses, defibrillation strategy, post‑arrest care, and expectations for team‑based performance. The details of changes that occurred with the release of the 2025 ACLS & BLS Guidelines can be reviewed using the links below. Here on acls‑algorithms.com, all ACLS algorithms, practice tests, and megacode scenarios have been updated to match the 2025 ACLS recommendations so that learners can prepare with the current standard of care. This page provides a high‑yield overview of what changed in ACLS so returning users can quickly see what they need to relearn before exams, megacodes, or real‑world resuscitations.
The articles linked below will provide a complete review of the ACLS guideline changes released by the American Heart Association in the 2025 ACLS Guidelines.
Please feel free to ask a question in the comments section below if something is not clear.
2025-2030 ACLS Guideline Changes Review
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Adult Cardiac Arrest Algorithm (read full review)
The adult cardiac arrest algorithm had a few minor changes in recommendations which included changes in medication timing, vascular access details, strategies for refractory VF/pulseless VT, and assessing the appropriateness of continued resuscitation.
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Adult Bradycardia with a Pulse Algorithm (read full review)
The 2025 ACLS guidelines for bradycardia include refinement of medication management for symptomatic bradycardia, reinforcement of prompt algorithm escalation when bolus medications fail, and bradycardia algorithm diagram revision.
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Tachycardia (with a pulse) Algorithm (read full review)
For adult tachycardia with a pulse, the 2025 guidelines continue to stress rapid differentiation between stable and unstable patients, recommendations for prompt cardioversion of unstable tachycardia, minor medication adjustments, and specific cardioversion dose recommendations.
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Post-Cardiac Arrest Care Algorithm (read full review)
The 2025 guidelines deepen the focus on post–cardiac arrest care as a continuation of resuscitation, not an afterthought. There were minor changes to the post-cardiac arrest care algorithm regarding details for temperature strategy, respiratory and blood pressure parameters, critical care management, and more.
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Other 2025-2030 Guideline Changes (read full review)
Several other important changes were made within the AHA ACLS guidelines. These changes include a revision to the chain of survival for both in-hospital and out-of-hospital arrest, the addition of a thrombolytic agent in the stroke algorithm, and more.