Annals of emergency medicine
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We systematically summarize pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest epidemiology and assess knowledge of effects of specific out-of-hospital interventions. ⋯ Outcomes from out-of-hospital pediatric cardiac arrest are generally poor. Variability may exist in survival by patient subgroups, but differences are hard to accurately characterize. Conformity with Utstein guidelines for reporting and research design is incomplete. Witnessed arrest status remains associated with improved survival. The need for prospective controlled trials remains a high priority.