Management – Overview

Management of pediatric cardiopulmonary crises centers on supporting airway, breathing, and circulation. For respiratory failure, key interventions include patient positioning, suctioning, oxygen administration, and assisted ventilation with bag-valve-mask or advanced airways if needed. Treating shock involves oxygen, intravenous fluid resuscitation, vasopressors, and addressing the underlying cause like sepsis or hemorrhage. In cardiac arrest, the focus is providing high-quality chest compressions and prompt defibrillation for shockable rhythms, along with epinephrine and treating any reversible causes. Bradycardia treatment consists of oxygenation/ventilation, chest compressions if heart rate is <60 bpm with poor perfusion, epinephrine, and atropine. Tachycardia management varies based on hemodynamic stability and rhythm, sometimes requiring cardioversion or antiarrhythmics like adenosine or amiodarone. Across these scenarios, key priorities are maintaining airway, breathing, circulation (ABCs), restoring adequate perfusion, treating underlying causes, and preventing arrest through early recognition and intervention for conditions like respiratory failure and shock.