It's three a.m., and you have just been dispatched to a "pediatric difficulty breathing." As you rub the sleep from your eyes, you perform a quick mental review of the PALS protocol, just in case. Perhaps the child simply has a cold, and the parent has panicked. It happens all the time. But perhaps it's something more serious. You had better be ready for anything.

Pediatric airway problems can lead to devastation for families. According to the Pediatric Perioperative Cardiac Arrest (POCA) registry, respiratory events led to 27% of all pediatric perioperative cardiac arrests.

Likely, this is the first traumatic event the child has experienced and causing further distress will only increase the severity of the problem. It falls to responders to keep an open and friendly disposition during these events, making medical care less intimidating. To be able to focus on that type of demeanor, prior education and comprehension of the causes and solutions to these complications is vital to potentially saving a child’s life or preventing long-term harm.

Pediatric intubation is a frightening scenario for a parent. Thanks in part to differences in children’s airway anatomy, they are more vulnerable to respiratory distress. Your agency must offer regular training on pediatric intubation because the pediatric airway is smaller, more difficult to access, and more susceptible to injury. Knowledge is no substitute for experience, so take every opportunity to practice pediatric intubation. Here’s a quick overview of the process. 

Routine suctioning at birth has been the standard of care for newborns for decades. But evidence calls this practice into question, and many hospitals are moving away from it. But this doesn’t mean that suctioning is obsolete. Newborns in respiratory distress, those with low Apgar scores, and those struggling with the transition from fetus to newborn may still need bulb suctioning, or occasionally, suctioning with a machine. Here are five things you need to know about suctioning newborns. 

A tracheostomy can save a patient’s life, improve their quality of life, and help them live more independently. Yet this vital medical device also increases the risk of certain infections, especially pneumonia. 

Pediatric cardiac arrest is a rare event outside of hospital settings. In the hospital, where children with serious morbidities need specialized care, it is more common. Prompt resuscitation can prove life-saving, transforming a condition that would almost inevitably be fatal into a minor trauma. But as the COVID pandemic ravages the world, pediatric resuscitation practices are changing.

Almost all children become infected with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) by the age of 2. For neonates and immunocompromised babies, however, this can be a life-threatening disease. The unique airways of very young babies can compromise their ability to clear airway secretions, increasing the risk of serious complications. Deep suctioning can reduce their discomfort—and in some cases—even save their lives. Here’s what you need to know. 

It’s a scary moment for even the most experienced first responder. The baby has been delivered in the hospital parking lot and isn’t breathing. Or a newborn’s parents call, sobbing, and report that their baby is in respiratory distress. Caring for babies facing respiratory emergencies is emotionally and physically challenging work. That’s because babies’ airways are much smaller than adults’, and the stakes are very high. A respiratory injury to a baby in respiratory distress can prove catastrophic. Here’s what you need to know to provide exceptional care to your most vulnerable patients.