Paediatric drowning: a standard operating procedure to aid the prehospital management of paediatric cardiac arrest resulting from submersion
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Rebecca Robyn Best; Timothy Manfield; Jason Leo Walsh; Benjamin Howell Lole Harris
- Source
- Subject
- Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Resuscitation
Emergency Medical Services
Adolescent
Operating procedures
Context (language use)
030204 cardiovascular system & hematology
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Near Drowning
Hypothermia, Induced
medicine
Emergency medical services
Humans
Intensive care medicine
Child
health care economics and organizations
Drowning
business.industry
Infant
030208 emergency & critical care medicine
General Medicine
medicine.disease
R1
Heart Arrest
Child, Preschool
Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
Emergency Medicine
Female
Medical emergency
business
Standard operating procedure
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0749-5161
Objectives: Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in children. Resuscitating a child following submersion is a highpressure situation, and standard operating procedures can reduce error. Currently, the Resuscitation Council UK guidance does not include a standard operating procedure on paediatric drowning. The objective of this project was to design a standard operating procedure to improve outcomes of drowned children. Methods: A literature review on the management of paediatric drowning was conducted. Relevant publications were used to develop a standard operating procedure for management of paediatric drowning. Results: A concise standard operating procedure was developed for resuscitation following paediatric submersion. Specific recommendations include: the Heimlich manoeuvre should not be used in this context; however, prolonged resuscitation and therapeutic hypothermia are recommended. Conclusions: This standard operating procedure is a potentially useful adjunct to the Resuscitation Council UK guidance and should be considered for incorporation into its next iteration.