Pediatric Advanced Life Support Update for Emergency Department Physicians

Cardiopulmonary arrest occurs much less frequently in children than in adults. It rarely occurs suddenly and is more commonly due to a respiratory problem and not from a primary cardiac cause. In the out-of-hospital setting, conditions such as trauma, sudden infant death syndrome, drowning, poisoning, choking, and severe asthma represent the most common causes of arrest. In the hospital setting, common causes include sepsis, respiratory failure, drug toxicity, metabolic abnormalities, and arrhythmias. The tenets of pediatric advanced life support are the recognition and treatment of with trauma, shock, respiratory failure, or other prearrest conditions to prevent progression to cardiopulmonary arrest. This article provides an update on pediatric advanced life support recommendations for equipment and medications for resuscitation and explains the guidelines for their use based on available clinical and experimental evidence.