Introduction: An acute coronary syndrome is a life-threatening condition and the leading cause of death in Slovenia. Most of the time, it occurs unexpectedly and, in an outpatient, setting. The survival rate of the patient depends on rapid and appropriate first aid. In areas of water first aid is provided by lifeguards and in rural areas by first responders. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to present the basic characteristics of acute coronary syndrome and first aid procedures in acute coronary syndrome and cardiac arrest, to identify the theoretical knowledge of lifeguards and first responders about first aid procedures in acute coronary syndrome and analyses the differences between them. The aim is also to identify differences in knowledge between respondents according to the period of the last first aid course, the milestone is 2019. Methods: The data collection was carried out using a survey questionnaire. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0. Data was provided in the form of tables and column charts. Results: 103 respondents took part in the research, of which 20 were lifeguards and 83 were first responders. On average, all respondents completed the survey questionnaire with a 64.2% success rate; lifeguards with 60.8% success and first responders with 65% success. There were no statistically significant differences between them. All respondents answered best (> 90% success rate) on questions about the occurrence of cardiac arrest in acute coronary syndrome, about the ratio of chest compressions and rescue breaths in an adult, about the nature of pain in patients with acute coronary syndrome, and about calling emergency medical services at identified signs of acute coronary syndrome. They performed the worst (24% success rate) on the theoretical question about the clinical conditions included in acute coronary syndrome. Respondents who last took the first aid course in the last year (2020 and the beginning of 2021) answered the questions with an average success rate of 64.9%. Those who last took the course in 2019 or earlier, however, with a 63.3% success rate. There was no statistically significant difference between them. Discussion and conclusion: On average, the respondents solved the questionnaire satisfactorily and achieved the minimum standards of knowledge, there were no statistically significant differences between lifeguards and first responders. There were also no statistically significant differences between respondents who last took the first aid course in the last year and those who took it in 2019 or earlier.
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