Anales de pediatría : publicación oficial de la Asociación Española de Pediatría (A.E.P.)
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a medical activity that involves major ethical issues. As in other areas of clinical ethics, CPR decisions must be based on the principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. ⋯ Do not attempt resuscitation orders must be respected by health staff. Other ethical issues involved in CPR include resuscitation of potential organ donors, learning CPR procedures, research in CPR, and the information given to the parents of children with cardiorespiratory arrest.
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To examine whether extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants who undergo Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in the delivery room present poorer survival and greater short-term neurological and general morbidity than those who do not. ⋯ This study does not support poorer survival or significant non-neurological morbidity during the neonatal period in ELBW infants who receive CPR. Although the prevalence of individual neurological problems was similar in the two groups, CPR was associated with a clear increase in general neurological morbidity, with a three-times greater risk of brain damage.
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Cardiorespiratory arrest and the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation can occur anywhere, both in the out-of-hospital and in-hospital settings. Therefore, all healthcare centers (hospitals, primary care facilities, out-of-hospital emergency services) must be prepared to initiate life support procedures in children and to treat other life-threatening emergencies. To achieve this objective, adequate material including a full crash cart or resuscitation trolley is essential and must be available in all healthcare centers. ⋯ The trolley must be located in an easily accessible site and must contain only indispensable material. It is essential to include instruments in several sizes, covering children of all ages, as well as enough spare instruments and medications that could be required during resuscitation. The material must be checked periodically and all the staff (physicians, nurses, and auxiliary personnel) must be familiar with the trolley's contents and the location of all material and drugs.
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To assess the short- and long-term outcome of infants