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Pre‐Hospital Paediatric Life Support

A Practical Approach to Emergencies

THIRD EDITION

 

Advanced Life Support Group

 

EDITED BY

Alan Charters

Hal Maxwell

Paul Reavley

 

 

 

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Working group

Alan Charters RGN, RSCN, RNT, D Health Sci, MA Ed, BSc (Hons), PgDip Ed
Lead Consultant for Paediatric Emergency Care, Portsmouth
Sandrine Dénéréaz Paramedic, Emergency School Director, Lausanne, Switzerland
Tony Little BSc
Senior Resuscitation Practitioner/Critical Care Paramedic, London
Fiona Mair MBChB, MRCGP (Assoc), DIMC (RCSEd), MRCEM (Assoc)
Emergency Medicine Associate Specialist, Aberdeen; member BASICS Scotland
Jeremy Mauger MStJ, BSc(Hons), MBBS, FRCA, FFICM
Consultant in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, Bury St Edmunds; HEMS Consultant, East Anglian Air Ambulance
Hal Maxwell BMSc (Hons), MBChB, DRCOG, FRCGP, DIMC (RCSEd)
Locum GP, Rural Dispensing Practice; member BASICS Scotland
Michael Page BSc (Hons), Dip Sp Prac, DIMC (RCSEd), CertEd
Operational Lead (Adult) Resuscitation Services, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol; Critical Care Paramedic, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Paul Reavley MBChB, FRCEM, FRCS(A&E)Ed, MRCGP, Dip Med Tox, RAMC
Consultant in Military Emergency and Pre‐Hospital Care; Paediatric Emergency Medicine Consultant, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Bristol
Julian M. Sandell MBBS, MRCPI, FRCPCH, FRCEM
Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Poole Hospital NHS Trust, Poole
Ronald de Vos MD
Anesthesiologist, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, the Netherlands
Susan Wieteska CEO, ALSG, Manchester
Mark Woolcock Consultant Paramedic, Cornwall

Contributors to third edition

Jim Blackburn MBBS, BSc, MRCEM, FRCA, FIMC (RCSEd), ST5
Anaesthesia and Prehospital Emergency Medicine, Bristol
Vicki Brown MCPara, MSC, DIMC (RCSEd)
Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care, Great Western Air Ambulance
Alan Charters RGN, RSCN, RNT, D Health Sci, MA Ed, BSc (Hons), PgDip Ed
Lead Consultant for Paediatric Emergency Care, Portsmouth
Phil Cowburn BSc (Hons), MBChB, FRCS, FCEM, DIMC (RCSEd)
Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Medical Director (Acute Care) Southwest Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Tony Little BSc
Senior Resuscitation Practitioner/Critical Care Paramedic, London
Fiona Mair MBChB, MRCGP (Assoc), DIMC (RCSEd), MRCEM (Assoc)
Emergency Medicine Associate Specialist, Aberdeen; member BASICS Scotland
Jeremy Mauger MStJ, BSc(Hons), MBBS, FRCA, FFICM
Consultant in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, Bury St Edmunds; HEMS Consultant, East Anglian Air Ambulance
Hal Maxwell BMSc (Hons), MBChB, DRCOG, FRCGP, DIMC (RCSEd)
Locum GP, Rural Dispensing Practice; member BASICS Scotland
Michael Page BSc (Hons), Dip Sp Prac, DIMC (RCSEd), CertEd
Operational Lead (Adult) Resuscitation Services, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol; Critical Care Paramedic, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Paul Reavley MBChB, FRCEM, FRCS(A&E)Ed, MRCGP, Dip Med Tox, RAMC
Consultant in Military Emergency and Pre‐Hospital Care; Paediatric Emergency Medicine Consultant, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Bristol
Julian M. Sandell MBBS, MRCPI, FRCPCH, FRCEM
Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Poole Hospital NHS Trust, Poole
Ronald de Vos MD
Anesthesiologist, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, the Netherlands
Matthew J. C. Thomas MBChB, FRCA, MRCP, DICM, EDIC, DIMC (RCSEd), FFICM
Consultant in Intensive Medicine, Lead Doctor, Great Western Air Ambulance
James Tooley MBBS, MRCP, FRCPCH, DIMC (RCSEd)
Consultant in Neonatal and Paediatric Retrieval, Clinical Development Lead, Great Western Air Ambulance, Bristol
Christopher J. Vallis BSc, FRCA, FRCPCH, MFSEM, CertMedEd
Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist (retired), Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne
Susan Wieteska CEO, ALSG, Manchester
Mark Woolcock Consultant Paramedic, Cornwall

Contributors to first and second editions

A. Charters Emergency Nursing, Portsmouth

T. Hodgetts Emergency Medicine, MOD

F. Jewkes General Practitioner and Paediatrician, Berwickshire

S. Levene Child Accident Prevention Trust, London

P. Lubas Resuscitation Training/Paramedic, Cardiff

I. Maconochie Paediatric Emergency Medicine, London

J. Mauger Anaesthetics, Bury St Edmonds

H. Maxwell General Practitioner, Ballantrae

K. McCusker Resuscitation Training/Paramedic, Cardiff

J. Mooney ALSG, Manchester

F. Moore Emergency Medicine, Ambulance Service Medical Director, London

P. Oakley Anaesthetics/Trauma, Stoke

B. Phillips ALSG, Manchester

P. Reavley Emergency Medicine, Bristol

J. Robson Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Liverpool

B. Stewart Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Liverpool

M. Vander Ambulance Service A&E Development Manager, London

S. Wieteska ALSG CEO, Manchester

M. Woolcock Pre‐Hospital Practitioner, Truro

M. Woollard Pre‐Hospital Emergency Medicine, Middlesbrough

Preface to third edition

The preface to the first edition of the Pre‐Hospital Paediatric Life Support (PHPLS) manual explained that children could be saved and morbidity prevented by early and appropriate intervention. This course continues in response to that need and the need to provide a consistent, high‐quality and evidence‐based approach to the care of the seriously ill or injured child.

When the first course was written it grew out of the then well‐established Advance Paediatric Life Support (APLS) course. As a result some of the teaching was not always transferable to the pre‐hospital practitioner and their environment. Subsequent development of the course reflects the changes in resuscitation practice and recognises the demands and limitations faced by practitioners working outside hospital.

This course is aimed at the level 5 pre‐hospital practitioner. An example of change is the de‐emphasis of intubation and re‐emphasis on good, core airway skills. The course acknowledges the role of high capability pre‐hospital teams but focuses on pragmatic care delivered by the level 5 staff.

Other changes in this course reflect the introduction of current evidence‐based and consensus guidelines such as the use of tranexamic acid in haemorrhage, the principle of minimal handling and the de‐emphasis on cervical collars and immobilisation. The overall aim has been to maintain the high quality of the material but also reflect the changing evidence base and practice when providing care in the challenging environment that is found in the pre‐hospital arena.

As always, we have aimed to keep the material consistent with the text of the current edition of the sister APLS course and some of what we have introduced in this edition of PHPLS is now being mirrored in the latest iteration of the APLS course. All knowledge is dynamic and changes will continue at pace. The Advance Life Support Group (ALSG) and its working groups will continue to develop its teaching as required.

Many, many thanks to all those who have helped with preparation and given us ideas and feedback. Thanks in advance to those of you who will continue to do so as this will ensure we keep the course relevant to your needs.

Perhaps too much has been made of the ‘difficulty’ of treating children in the past. Very importantly we wish to encourage you that despite fears and anxieties, you already have the knowledge and skills to help children, they are after all still members of the human race. We hope that this manual and the PHPLS course will develop you further and supply the confidence you require to treat the child in urgent need of care.

We hope you will find it useful, enjoyable and that your patients will benefit from this.

Alan Charters, Hal Maxwell and Paul Reavley
Co‐Chairs PHPLS Working Group, 2017

Preface to first edition

Pre‐Hospital Paediatric Life Support: The Practical Approach was written as a sister publication to Advanced Paediatric Life Support: The Practical Approach. It has the same objective of improving the emergency care of children, but concentrates on the first critical minutes prior to arriving at hospital.

It has been developed to fill a void in the training of personnel who have sometimes had to deal with these children with little knowledge or experience of paediatrics. Members of the pre‐hospital life support working group, all of whom have extensive experience of working with children in both the pre‐hospital and the hospital environments, have developed the manual in conjunction with the Joint Colleges and Ambulance Liaison Committee (JCALC) working party on paediatrics.

This manual also forms the core text of the PHPLS course, which is designed to give both medical and paramedical staff the skills and knowledge to deal with paediatric trauma and medical emergencies. The editors feel that by training together these multidisciplinary groups will both complement each other and reduce potential barriers thus developing a seamless care approach to these events.

The course is designed to dovetail with the therapies presented in APLS, building upon established and tested interventions that we hope will ultimately provide an improvement in patient outcomes.

The layout of this book begins with background information on the aetiology of illness and disease in children, followed by the assessment and basic life support of children. Specific pre‐hospital considerations are then covered followed by practical skills to apply your new‐found knowledge.

Emergencies in children can generate a great deal of anxiety in the children, parents and medical personnel who have to deal with them. We hope that this book will enlighten the reader on the subject of pre‐hospital paediatric emergency care and provide some support to help all involved. Read it as part of the PHPLS course or as a stand‐alone publication, refer to it frequently, and hopefully it will help to achieve its aim of improving the standards of paediatric life support within the pre‐hospital setting.

Fiona Jewkes, Paul Lubas and Kevin McCusker
Editorial Board, December 1998

Acknowledgements

A great many people have put a lot of hard work into the production of this book and the accompanying course. The editors would principally like to thank all of the working party and contributors for their monumental efforts in the delivery of this text.

We are greatly indebted to Kirsten Baxter and Jane Mooney for their exceptional hard work and dedication towards this publication; their encouragement and guidance throughout the process has been gratefully received.

The editors gratefully acknowledge the written information and guidance received from the Great Western Ambulance Service, in particular the quick reference drugs guides reproduced in the back of the book.

We would like to thank, in advance, all of those who attend the Pre‐Hospital Paediatric Life Support Course and others using this text for their continued constructive comments regarding the future development of both the course and manual.

Contact details and further information

ALSG: www.alsg.org

For details on ALSG courses visit the website or contact:
Advanced Life Support Group
ALSG Centre for Training and Development
29–31 Ellesmere Street
Swinton, Manchester
M27 0LA
Tel: +44 (0)161 794 1999
Fax: +44 (0)161 794 9111
Email: enquiries@alsg.org

Clinicians practising in tropical and under‐resourced healthcare systems are advised to read International Maternal and Child Health Care – A Practical Manual for Hospitals Worldwide (www.mcai.org.uk) which gives details of additional relevant illnesses not included in this text.

Updates

The material contained within this book is updated on a 5‐yearly cycle. However, practice may change in the interim period. We will post any changes on the ALSG website, so we advise that you visit the website regularly to check for updates (www.alsg.org/uk/phpls). The website will provide you with a new page to download.

References

All references are available on the ALSG website www.alsg.org/uk/phpls

On‐line feedback

It is important to ALSG that the contact with our providers continues after a course is completed. We now contact everyone 6 months after their course has taken place asking for on‐line feedback on the course. This information is then used whenever the course is updated to ensure that the course provides optimum training to its participants.

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