Delays and errors in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation by pediatric residents during simulated cardiopulmonary arrests.

Background: The quality of life support delivered during cardiopulmonary resuscitation affects outcomes. However, little data exist regarding the quality of resuscitation delivered to children and factors associated with adherence to American Heart Association (AHA) resuscitation guidelines.

Participants: Pediatric residents from an academic, tertiary care hospital.

The use of cognitive AIDS during simulated pediatric cardiopulmonary arrests.

Background: Management of pediatric cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) is challenging because of the low volume of experience of most pediatric health care providers. Use of cognitive aids may assist in making rapid decisions in these crises; however, there are no known published reports on whether these aids are actually used during arrest management and whether they impact quality of care.

Methods: Sixty pediatric residents participated in individual simulated CPA scenarios, which involved pulseless ventricular tachycardia and pulseless electrical activity.