CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION

Unlike adults, Cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) in children is rarely a sudden event, often preceded by progressive deterioration of respiratory or cardiovascular functions. Prompt recognition and management of impending respiratory failure and shock may obviate the need of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in most cases.

Depending on the emergency needs and availability of technical expertise/facilities, CPR may be broadly divided into two different protocols or processes:

a. Basic life-support (BLS) is a series of sequential measures in the emergency management of usually sudden CPA due to unforeseen causes, e.g. injuries and foreign bodies, with limited resources and technical knowledge, till advance life support (ALS) is possible. These situations usually arise outside the hospital setting and BLS may be administered even by a lay person.

b. Pediatric advanced life-support (PALS) usually takes place in health-care settings, when CPA is usually gradual, following a premorbid condition. Many trained rescuers are available and multiple resuscitative measures can be taken simultaneously and in parallel.

Following discussion includes revised protocol of standard pediatric life-support measures, recommended by American Heart Association in 2020 and accepted as the standard of BLS and PALS throughout the world.

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