Workshop 5: Advanced Life Support for Paediatrics

Overview

This workshop is a dynamic, hands-on training session that will provide instruction and practice to refine your paediatric skills. Focused on high-risk, low frequency paediatric emergencies, this workshop provides an immersive environment to refine life-saving skills, improve decision-making, and enhance the ability to lead resuscitative efforts in paediatric patients.  Instruction is delivered through a combination of skills stations, case-based learning, and simulation.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Perform high quality paediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
2. Demonstrate advanced paediatric airway management, including the use of supraglottic airways and endotracheal intubation.
3. Accurately interpret common paediatric cardiac rhythms and initiate appropriate interventions.
4. Safely administer emergency medications via IV, IO, and ET routes, understanding dose and pharmacologic considerations.
5. Operate a manual defibrillator and perform synchronized cardioversion.
6. Apply evidence-based post-resuscitation care strategies to optimize neurologic outcomes.
7. Participate effectively in team-based resuscitation simulations and performance through structured debriefing.

Workshop Content

• CPR Techniques
• Airway Managment
• Rhythm Recognition and Intervention
• Medication Administration
• Simulation and Case-based Scenarios

Why this workshop matters

Nurse Anaesthetists/Anaesthetic nurses are often responsible for/involved in managing critical paediatric situations. This workshop equips providers with the confidence, precision, and current knowledge needed to respond effectively to paediatric cardiac and respiratory arrest. The focus on skills and scenarios reinforces technical skills but also enhances leadership, teamwork, and rapid clinical decision-making under pressure. By improving advanced paediatric life support competencies, this workshop will ultimately contribute to safer anaesthesia care and improved patient outcomes.

Agenda

• Welcome and introductions (10 minutes) 

• Participants will rotate through 4 facilitated stations and 1 self-guided station. 

1. Pediatric Airway Management: (20 minutes-facilitated)  

1. Properly position an infant and/or child for optimized airway management.  

2. Demonstrate effective bag-mask ventilation. 

3. Choose and insert appropriate airway adjuncts and supraglottic airways. 

4. Successfully intubate an infant and/or child using appropriately sized equipment.  

2. CPR (20 minutes-facilitated) 

1. Perform high quality compressions (hand positioning, depth, rate, recoil)  

2. Perform high quality single rescuer and two-person rescuer CPR with appropriate ventilation ratio. 

3. Efficiently rotate rescuers to avoid fatigue.  

3. Cardiac Rhythm Recognition & Defibrillation Techniques (20 minutes-facilitated) 

1. Identify VF, pulseless VT, asystole, and PEA 

2. Demonstrate defibrillator setup and proper pad placement.  

3. Calculate appropriate weight-based shock delivery.  

4. Medication Administration and Vascular Access (20 minutes-self guided) 

1. Review the preferred routes of medication administration during resuscitation. 

2. Review the indications of medications commonly utilized during pediatric resuscitation.  

3. Accurately calculate pediatric resuscitation medications. 

4. Practice proper placement of IV/IO needle.   

5. Full Scenario (20 minutes-facilitated)  

1. Integrate airway management, CPR, rhythm recognition, AED use, and medication skills. 

2. Demonstrate closed-loop communication and teamwork. 

• Debrief and review of key points (10 minutes)