West African journal of medicine
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The recommended time for decision-delivery-interval (DDI) in emergency caesarean section is 30 minutes, though this is rarely achieved in practice. Good perinatal outcome has been achieved with DDI up to 240 minutes. ⋯ The average DDI in this study was 401 + 315mins. Whilst perinatal deaths were not significantly affected when the time exceeded 240 minutes, 5-minute Apgar scores and SCBU admissions were significantly higher. The 30-minute recommendation may remain the target if these outcomes are to be improved.
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is the initiation of basic and advanced life support to restore spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest. It is one of the most frequently performed procedures in the intensive care unit both in the adult and paediatric population. There are, however, significant differences in the aetiology of cardiac arrest and CPR in both age groups. The sequence and outcome of CPR for children, therefore, vary from that of the adult. ⋯ The outcome of CPR in the paediatric population in our general ICU is poor. Perhaps, regular training of ICU staff in paediatric advanced life support and provision of an ICU dedicated to the care of paediatric patients may help improve outcome.