ALS and BLS are two major types of support systems in case of any kind of medical emergency. Both of them are life-supporting systems but, just the difference is that one aims at gives basic treatment, and on the other hand, the other one aims at giving advanced treatment. Both ALS and BLS play a very important role in the pre-hospitalization treatment for any kind of patient.
ALS vs BLS
The main difference between ALS (Advance Life Support) and BLS (Basic Life Support) is that in BLS, it has a non-invasive latter which means that the technicians in a BLS ambulance cannot perform any kind of surgery or medical treatments which requires the use of needles and other instruments that make cuts and cannot provide any kind of severe medicines, while on the other hand, the technicians in an ALS ambulance can perform any kind of surgery or medical treatments.
ALS is the short form of advanced life support. An ALS provider can give make use of injections and medicines of high dose to a patient going through some serious medication-related to cuts or even heart stokes as the basic first aid. There is an advanced mechanism technician present in the ambulance having an ALS provider. ALS provides advanced care for patients in critical conditions.
BLS is the short form of basic life support. BLS has a non-invasive latter which means that the technicians in a BLS ambulance cannot perform any kind of surgery or medical treatments, which requires the use of needles and other instruments that make cuts in the skin and cannot provide any kind of severe medicines. When a patient needs basic first-level treatment, that’s when the BLS provider comes into the picture.
Comparison Table Between ALS and BLS
| Parameters of Comparison | ALS | BLS |
| Short form | ALS is the short form of advanced life support. | BLS is the short form of basic life support. |
| Uses | The technicians in an ALS ambulance can perform any surgery or medical treatments. | The technicians in a BLS ambulance cannot perform any surgery or medical treatments, which requires the use of needles and other instruments that make cuts and cannot provide any severe medicines. |
| Number of technicians | There are usually two medical technicians in a BLS ambulance. | There are medical technicians as well as a paramedic. |
| Skills | A technician in ALS requires more training than a technician in BLS. | A technician in BLS needs basic and less training compared to ALS. |
| Equipment | The ambulance of ALS provider has the equipment to support airway, cardiac monitors and cardiac supporting machines. | The ambulance of the BLS provider does not provide the equipment to support airway, cardiac monitors, cardiac supporting machines. |
What is ALS?
ALS is the short form of advanced life support. An ALS provider can give make use of injections and medicines of high dose to a patient going through some serious medication-related to cuts or even heart stokes as the basic first aid. There is an advanced mechanism technician present in the ambulance having an ALS provider. ALS provides advanced care for patients in critical conditions.
The ambulance of ALS provider has features such as equipment to support airway, cardiac monitors, cardiac supporting machines, as well as the device that tests the glucose level of a patient in the ambulance. When a patient is in a critical condition and is to admit to a hospital, then at that time, ALS plays a very important role.
Medications are also carried out on board in an ALS ambulance. There is a requirement of medical monitoring at a high level towards the patients under the ALS system by providing drips and other high-efficiency treatments inside the ambulance. The staff who monitor the patients in the ALS ambulance are well trained for their jobs.
What is BLS?
BLS is the short form of basic life support. BLS has a non-invasive latter which means that the technicians in a BLS ambulance cannot perform any kind of surgery or medical treatments, which requires the use of needles and other instruments that make cuts in the skin and cannot provide any kind of severe medicines. When a patient needs basic first-level treatment, that’s when the BLS provider comes into the picture.
The basic feature of BLS is to give the basic medication to a patient who isn’t feeling good before he or she receives the EMS. Patients who come under the BLS treatment are people having low extreme fractures, the patients who are transferred from ICU To general ward, and other patients who are shifted to non-emergency travel vehicle.
Only cardiopulmonary resuscitation that is CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED), can be used without using Drugs for patients in ALS. A BLS usually has two medical technicians in their ambulance for one patient to be taken care of. When a patient needs basic first-level treatment, that’s when the BLS provider comes into the picture.
Main Differences Between ALS and BLS
- ALS is the short form of advanced life support, and on the other hand, BLS is the short form of basic life support.
- The technicians in a BLS ambulance cannot perform any kind of surgery or medical treatments which requires the use of needles and other instruments that make cuts and cannot provide any kind of severe medicines, while on the other hand, the technicians in an ALS ambulance can perform any kind of surgery or medical treatments.
- There are usually two medical technicians in a BLS ambulance, and on the other hand, there are medical technicians as well as a paramedic.
- A technician in ALS requires more training than a technician in BLS, and on the other hand, a technician in BLS needs basic and less training compared to ALS
- The ambulance of ALS provider has the equipment to support airway, cardiac monitors, cardiac supporting machines, as well as the device that tests the glucose level of a patient, while the BLS does not have all this equipment.
Conclusion
ALS and BLS are two major types of support systems in case of any kind of medical emergency. There are usually two medical technicians in a BLS ambulance, and on the other hand, there are medical technicians as well as a paramedic. A technician in ALS requires more training than a technician in BLS, and on the other hand, a technician in BLS needs basic and less training compared to ALS.
The technicians in a BLS ambulance cannot perform any kind of surgery or medical treatments, which requires the use of needles and other instruments that make cuts in the skin and cannot provide any kind of severe medicines, while this is not the case in ALS. Both of them are life-supporting systems but, just the difference is that one is basic, and on the other hand, the other one is advanced. Both ALS and BLS play a very important role in the pre-hospitalization treatment for any kind of patient.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300957211002401
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10903120701205984