The 2025 American Heart Association guidelines introduced a simpler, more unified approach to cardiac arrest response. Instead of using separate Chains of Survival for adult, pediatric, in-hospital, and out-of-hospital cases, the AHA now uses one unified 6-link Chain of Survival for both adult and pediatric cardiac arrest.

The 6 links are:

1. Recognition and Emergency Activation
2. High-Quality CPR
3. Defibrillation
4. Advanced Resuscitation
5. Post-Cardiac Arrest Care
6. Recovery and Survivorship

This change helps simplify CPR training and reinforces a consistent response across settings. The message is clear: recognize cardiac arrest quickly, activate help, start high-quality CPR, and use an AED as soon as possible. The guidelines also emphasize that prevention and preparedness still matter, even though they are discussed as actions that happen before the formal 6-link chain begins.

References
American Heart Association. Part 1: Executive Summary. 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC.

American Heart Association. Part 4: Systems of Care. 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC.

American Heart Association Newsroom. Cardiac Arrest Chain of Survival Infographic.

American Heart Association. Highlights of the 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC