Guideline 11.6.1 – Targeted Oxygen Therapy in Adult Advanced Life Support Updated
This guideline has had no major changes to the clinical aspects of the guideline. The ANZCOR Guideline 11.6.1 has been updated with review evidence, references, and terminology to increase consistency with GRADE terminology. Additionally, ANZCOR Guideline 11.6.1 continues to support targeted oxygen therapy for adult advanced life support.
| Search date/s | ILCOR literature search details and dates are available on the CoSTR page of the ILCOR website (https://costr.ilcor.org) and the relevant CoSTR documents. For further information relating to ANZCOR Guideline 11.6.1, please refer to official resources. |
| Questions/PICOs: | Are described in the CoSTR documents (https://costr.ilcor.org). In fact, ANZCOR Guideline 11.6.1 addresses these questions by maintaining standardisation and clarity. |
| Method: | Mixed methods including ARC NHMRC methodology before 2017 and ILCOR GRADE methodology described in ILCOR publications since 2017 are part of the processes outlined in ANZCOR Guideline 11.6.1. |
| Main changes: | No major changes to the clinical aspects of the guideline. Updating of review evidence, references, and terminology to increase consistency with GRADE terminology. Importantly, ANZCOR Guideline 11.6.1 reflects these updates for improved guidance. |
| Primary reviewers: | Michael Parr; Margaret Nicholson, Tonia Nicholson, Sharon-Ann Shunker. The team undertook a thorough review as part of the ANZCOR Guideline 11.6.1 update process. |
| Other consultation: | N/A |
| Worksheet: | N/A |
| Approved: | February 2026. This approval relates specifically to ANZCOR Guideline 11.6.1. |
| Guideline Superseded: | January 2016 which marks the last version prior to the ANZCOR Guideline 11.6.1 update. |
Summary of Guideline
Many medical conditions encountered in the community require urgent assessment and treatment by health care professionals. Most of the time, the nature of the illness is immediately apparent; however, others can be difficult to detect and diagnose even under ideal circumstances in well-resourced hospital settings. One frequent example of an illness that may be difficult to recognise and diagnose is sepsis (a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs).11 Another serious example is shock which is a condition where there is failure of the body to supply sufficient blood to the tissues to meet basic requirements for oxygen and nutrients and the incomplete removal of wastes.1
For First Aiders, recognising the specific condition is not the priority. Instead, it is far more important to recognise the symptoms and signs that indicate that the person is critically unwell and requires urgent medical attention.
Although there is limited literature focused specifically on first aid recognition and response to these complex medical emergencies, there is growing evidence about the broader concept of recognising the deteriorating, or increasingly unwell, patient.
The aim of this guideline is to give First Aiders the knowledge to recognise when a person may be seriously unwell and to respond quickly and appropriately. First Aiders are not expected to diagnose medical conditions, as that is the role of health professionals, but to identify when urgent help is needed and take the right immediate actions.
