Pediatric cardiac emergencies can strike unexpectedly, making CPR skills for parents crucial. Over 23,000 children experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) each year in the United States alone. These events most often occur at home (87.5%) but can also occur in public places (12.2%).
As a parent, learning infant and child CPR skills can help you effectively respond during an emergency. Here's an overview of how CPR improves survival outcomes, how to perform CPR on children (and adults) and how to keep your skills sharp.
Understanding Pediatric OHCA Survival Outcomes
Unlike in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), where survival rates have improved, OHCA still presents challenges with poor survival rates — only about 10% of children survive.
One study found that resuscitation quality was significantly lower for pediatric cases compared to adult cases. These differences were observed in terms of "defect-free care," which included aspects such as CPR depth, rate, compression-to-ventilation ratio, time to bag-mask ventilation and time to defibrillation, if applicable.
This study underscores the challenges and potential disparities in providing high-quality CPR during OHCA situations involving children compared to adults. It also highlights the importance of training, protocols and resources tailored to pediatric resuscitation to improve outcomes.
Performing CPR on Infants, Children and Adults
Performing CPR on infants, children and adults involves different techniques due to variations in anatomy and physiology. The American Heart Association (AHA) outlines how to perform CPR on children and CPR on adults.
First, ensure the scene is safe and check if the infant, child or adult is breathing. Then, ask others for help: If you're alone with phone access, call 911 and start CPR immediately. If you must leave the scene to call 911, provide five cycles of 30 compressions and two breaths beforehand. If help is available, call 911 and send someone to get an AED while you start CPR.
Infants (under 1 year)
- Use two fingers to compress the chest to a depth of 1.5 inches.
- Perform 30 compressions at a rate of 100-120 per minute, followed by two breaths.
Children
- Use the heel of one or two hands to compress the chest to a depth of 2 inches.
- Perform 30 compressions at a rate of 100-120 per minute, followed by two breaths.
Adults
- Place the heel of one or two hands in the center of the chest and compress the chest to a depth of at least 2 inches, but avoid compressions greater than 2.4 inches.
- Perform 30 compressions at a rate of 100-120 per minute, allowing the chest to fully recoil between compressions.
- After 30 compressions, give two breaths.
- If you're a bystander who witnesses an adult collapse, use hands-only CPR — compressions without mouth-to-mouth breaths. This is recommended for teens or adults who collapse outside a hospital setting (e.g., at home, work or a park).
Repeat these cycles until help arrives or the person starts breathing. When the AED arrives, turn it on and follow the instructions. Combining CPR with an AED improves survival rates, and AEDs come with step-by-step instructions that make it possible for anyone to use them.
Keeping CPR Skills for Parents Sharp
You can keep your CPR skills sharp and boost your confidence through ongoing education and training.
Infant CPR Anytime Training Kit
The AHA Infant CPR Anytime Training Kit, co-branded with the American Academy of Pediatrics, includes all the necessary materials to acquire essential skills in infant CPR, choking relief and injury prevention, all within approximately 30 minutes. It's also portable, and you can easily share it with babysitters, caregivers and friends.
Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED Course
The AHA Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED Course is tailored for individuals in childcare roles, including childcare providers, educators, camp counselors and similar roles. It has two learning options: blended learning or classroom training.
Family & Friends CPR Course
The Family & Friends CPR Course teaches adult and child CPR with breaths, adult hands-only CPR, infant CPR, AED use for adults and children, and techniques for addressing airway blockages. Taught in a group setting using the AHA's practice-while-watching method, this course maximizes hands-on practice time for confident CPR skills.
Boosting CPR Confidence
Confidence plays a significant role in effective bystander CPR. You can boost your confidence by:
- Memorizing the steps of high-quality CPR
- Understanding how to use an AED
- Practicing decision-making skills through scenario-based training to react quickly in emergencies
By keeping CPR skills sharp and enhancing confidence through education and training, you can play a vital role in saving lives and ensuring your child's and others' safety.
