What is Paediatric Immediate Life Support (PILS)?

Paediatric Immediate Life Support refers to the immediate care given to infants (0 – 12 months) or children (1 – 10 years) and adolescents (up to aged 18) who has been injured or in a situation where the child becomes ill before the arrival of qualified medical assistance or professionals.

What is Paediatric Basic Life Support (PBLS)?

Paediatric Basic Life Support calls attention to the life saving techniques which is used to assist infants (up to 1 year old), children and adolescents (up to the age of 18 years), during cardiac emergencies.

What is the importance of Basic Paediatric Life support?

Paediatric Basic Life Support is a fundamental skill that authorize healthcare professionals and caregivers to be able to respond effectively in situations which are critical involving infants, children or adolescents. Updated and regular training would ensure that both, members of the public and healthcare professionals are ready and prepared to handle paediatric resuscitation.

What are the steps for Paediatric Basic Life Support?

Paediatric Basic Life Support (PBLS) is a crucial element of emergency care for all infants, children and adolescents (up to the age of 18 years old and excluding newborns). When performing Paediatric Basic Life Support, follow these key steps:

• Assess Safety: ensure the safety of yourself, the child and any bystanders if there are any; if necessary, move the child to a safe area.
• Check Responsiveness: gently tap the child and do shout aloud to check for responsiveness; if the child is unresponsive then proceed to the next step.
• Activate emergency services: call for assistance and help or ask someone nearby to call emergency services.
• Open the Airway: the child should be placed on their back and their head should be tilted back slightly to open the airway; lift the chin gently using the “head tilt – chin lift” technique.
• Check Breathing: you should look, listen and feel for normal breathing; if the child is not breathing or only grasping for air, start rescue breaths.
• Start Chest Compressions: if the child is not breathing effectively, begin chest compressions; for infants, aim for approximately 4cm (1.5 inches) of compression depth; for older children (age 1 to puberty), aim for approximately 5cm (about 2 inches) of compression depth.
• Provide rescue breaths: after 30 chest compressions, give 2 rescue breaths; do ensure a good seal over the child’s nose and mouth during each rescue breath.
• Continue Cycles: the alternation between rescue breaths and compressions should be 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths; continue until help arrives or if the child starts breathing or you too exhausted to continue.

How do you do CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) with chest compressions?

1. Positioning: place the child on a fir surface, preferably on their back; ensure that their head is in a neutral position and that their airway is open.
2. Hand placement: for infants (up to 1 year old) use two fingers (index and middle fingers) in the centre of the chest, just below the nipple line; for all older children (1 year and above) use the heel of one hand in the centre of the chest, just below the nipple line.
3. Compression technique: compress the chest at the depth of about one third to one half the depth of the chest. For infants, aim for approximately 4cm (1.5 inches) of compression depth; for older children, aim for approximately 5cm (about 2 inches) of compression depth.
4. Compression rate: perform chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute; this is equivalent to about 2 compressions per second; remember to maintain a steady and consistent rhythm.
5. Full chest recoil: allow the chest to fully recoil between compressions; do not lean on the chest during the recoil phase to ensure optimal blood flow.
6. Minimize interruptions: minimize interruptions in chest compressions as much as possible; avoid excessive pauses or delays during the process.
7. Continue compressions: continue chest compressions until help arrives, an automate external defibrillator (AED) becomes available or if the child shows signs of recovery.

Just a note:

Doing an online Paediatric Basic Life Support (Levels 1 and 2) or Paediatric Immediate Life Support (Level 3) Course with Train Healthcare, which takes approximately 1 hour to complete, will earn you 1 CPD Point. Once you have completed the course, you would receive a certificate thereof.