Recognition of Respiratory Failure and Shock in Children

This content was created by OPENPediatrics, a peer-reviewed medical education platform for healthcare professionals. Please see www.openpediatrics.org for more information.

Traci Wolbrink, MD, MPH: Course Director

Co-Director, OPENPediatrics; Senior Associate in Critical Care Medicine
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital
Associate Professor of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School

Monica Kleinman, MD: Author

Associate Chief, Division of Critical Care Medicine; Chief Safety Officer, Program for Patient Safety and Quality; Co-Chair, Resuscitation Quality Program

Associate Professor of Anesthesia (Pediatrics), Harvard Medical School

Survival after in-hospital pediatric cardiac arrest is only about 40%, and less than10% for out-of-hospital pediatric cardiac arrest. Thus, prevention of cardiac arrest is of paramount importance. This program reviews the clinical signs and symptoms of shock and respiratory failure–the two most common pathways by which children progress to cardiorespiratory failure and cardiac arrest–and describes how early recognition and intervention can help prevent these events and improve patient outcomes. The course is intended for physicians and nurses who are responsible for the care of sick infants and children.

Learning Objectives: 

At the conclusion of this educational program, learners will be able to:

1. Describe epidemiology of pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest
2. Distinguish between respiratory distress and respiratory failure
3. Classify types of shock (hypovolemic, distributive, and cardiogenic)

In support of improving patient care, Boston Children’s Hospital is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians

Boston Children’s Hospital designates this live activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits ™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.

Nurses

Boston Children’s Hospital designates this activity for 0.5 contact hours for nurses. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosures

Boston Children’s Hospital adheres to all ACCME Essential Areas, Standards, and Policies. It is Boston Children’s policy that those who have influenced the content of a CME activity (e.g. planners, faculty, authors, reviewers and others) disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial entities so that Boston Children’s may identify and resolve any conflicts of interest prior to the activity. These disclosures will be provided in the activity materials along with disclosure of any commercial support received for the activity. Additionally, faculty members have been instructed to disclose any limitations of data and unlabeled or investigational uses of products during their presentations.

The following planners, speakers, and content reviewers, on behalf of themselves, have reported the following relevant financial relationships with any entity producing, marketing, reselling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on patients: 

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