Part 8: Pediatric Advanced Life Support: 2025 American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care

Abstract

The American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics provide these pediatric advanced life support guidelines focusing on resuscitation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. These guidelines are intended to be a resource for health care professionals to identify and treat infants and children up to 18 years of age (excluding newborn infants) in the prearrest, intra-arrest, and post-cardiac arrest states as well as select other emergency care situations. These guidelines apply to infants and children in various settings, including the community, prehospital environments, and hospital environments. Topics presented include ventilation and advanced airway strategies during cardiopulmonary resuscitation; drug administration and weight-based dosing of medications during cardiopulmonary resuscitation; energy doses for defibrillation; measuring cardiopulmonary resuscitation physiology and quality; extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation; post-cardiac arrest care related to management of core temperature, blood pressure, oxygenation/ventilation, neurologic monitoring, and seizures; neurological prognostication post-cardiac arrest; post-cardiac arrest survivorship; family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation; evaluation of sudden unexplained cardiac arrest; management of shock types; airway/intubation management; arrhythmia management including bradycardia and tachycardia (narrow and wide complex); treatment of myocarditis/cardiomyopathies; resuscitation of patients with single ventricle congenital heart disease; management of pulmonary hypertension; and management of traumatic cardiac arrest. Lastly, important gaps in resuscitation science knowledge are identified, aiming to encourage further scientific inquiry and provide additional evidence for future pediatric advanced life support guidelines.