In October 2010, the American Heart Association released updated guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Major changes in the pediatric basic and advanced life support guidelines are reviewed in this article. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is also reviewed including the results of two recent large studies and preliminary reports on long-term neurologic outcome of survivors.
Keywords: cardiac arrest; cardiopulmonary resuscitation; extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; pediatrics.