Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in children

Prehospital pediatric cardiac arrest is a rare event compared with adult cardiac arrest. Despite the recent advancements in postresuscitation care improving the outcome of adult patients, similar evidence is lacking in pediatric victims of cardiac arrest. In this brief article, the current data on pediatric cardiac arrest occurring in the prehospital setting are reviewed. The annual incidence of pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is approximately 8–10 cases per 100,000 persons. The outcome is generally poor, as only 2–9.6% of patients survive to hospital discharge. The neurologic outcome of survivors is good in 24–31% of patients. Current evidence is insufficient to strongly support or refute the use of mild therapeutic hypothermia during the postresuscitation phase in pediatric patients. The application of a goal-directed treatment protocol for pediatric cardiac arrest and postresuscitation syndrome needs to be evaluated.