Revista chilena de pediatría
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Along one year, cardiorespiratory resuscitation was done to 71 patients, aged 3 days to 10 years (median 3.5 month), in a pediatric intensive care unit. Although 39 patients (55%) recovered through first-stage treatment, in 17 the arrest was recurrent and they died in the following 24 hours. Only 12 (16.9%) children definitely survived. ⋯ Asystole was the most frequent arrhythmia (92%). There were only 4 cases of ventricular fibrillation, all occurred in patients with congenital heart disease, and no one recovered. Survivors have not evidence of neurological deficiencies, and only one died along one year follow up, because of congenital heart disease.