Cardiac Arrest in Paediatrics Explained

cardiac arrest emergency management paediatric anaesthesia paediatrics recovery issues Sep 18, 2023

Cardiac arrest in paediatric patients is not something we like to think about. It’s a critical and life-threatening medical emergency and your team need to act quickly to ensure your patient remains safe! 🚨 See the following summary from RCH:

Why does cardiac arrest in children occur? πŸ‘‡

πŸ‘‰πŸ½ The majority of arrests in children are due to hypoxia, hypotension and acidosis

πŸ‘‰πŸ½ The most common dysrhythmias are severe bradycardia and asystole

πŸ‘‰πŸ½ Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the initial arrest rhythm in approximately 10% of patients

Here are the key management points for cardiac arrest in the paediatric patient πŸ‘‡

1️⃣ Cardiac arrest should be suspected in an infant or child who is unresponsive and not breathing normally — pulse check should not delay cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) 😡

2️⃣ CPR should be commenced if cardiac arrest is suspected 🀲

3️⃣ Ongoing management should be directed by the cardiac rhythm identifiedπŸ«€

4️⃣ Effective resuscitation relies on a coordinated team and good communication πŸ«·πŸ—£οΈ

Now you know what to look for and some key management points to manage cardiac arrest in the paediatric patient!

Sign up for our next Live Series on September 13th where we will cover paediatric airway emergencies! Link in bio πŸ‘

Please note: these situations should are best managed by APLS (Advanced Paediatric Life Support) trained staff, we recommend undertaking this training with your organisation or hospital πŸ₯

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