Pediatric Advanced Life Support Update for the Emergency Physician: Review of 2010 Guideline Changes

Hafeez, Waseem; Ronca, Lorraine T.; Maldonado, Theresa E.

doi:10.1016/j.cpem.2011.09.007

« Previous Next »Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Volume 12, Issue 4 , Pages 255-265, December 2011

Pediatric Advanced Life Support Update for the Emergency Physician: Review of 2010 Guideline Changes☆

Waseem Hafeez, MD
- Reprint requests and correspondence: Waseem Hafeez, MD, is to be contacted at Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital at Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 3315 Rochambeau Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467. Lorraine Ronca, DO, Theresa Maldonado, MD.
Lorraine T. Ronca, DO
- Reprint requests and correspondence: Waseem Hafeez, MD, is to be contacted at Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital at Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 3315 Rochambeau Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467. Lorraine Ronca, DO, Theresa Maldonado, MD.
Theresa E. Maldonado, MD
- Reprint requests and correspondence: Waseem Hafeez, MD, is to be contacted at Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital at Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 3315 Rochambeau Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467. Lorraine Ronca, DO, Theresa Maldonado, MD.

Important changes were introduced in the 2010 American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Cardiac arrest remains a leading cause of death in many parts of the world, and despite important advances in medical science, the outcome of cardiopulmonary arrest is poor. The fundamental changes in the American Heart Association 2010 guidelines include the new recommendation to begin resuscitation with chest compression, airway, and breathing. We will review and discuss how to approach a successful pediatric resuscitation with the maintenance of adequate coronary artery and cerebral artery perfusion and, ultimately, how to improve outcomes in infants and children.

Keywords: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, C-A-B, chest compression, bag valve mask, endotracheal tube, end-tidal CO₂, intraosseous, automatic external defibrillator, dysrhythmia, defibrillation, therapeutic hypothermia, termination of resuscitation