Managing paediatric medical emergencies

Objectives

Learning Outcomes

GDC development outcomes A, B, C and D

Paediatric medical emergencies in the dental setting are uncommon, however, if they do occur, they can be distressing for the child, parent and dental team.¹ The anatomical and physiological differences between children and adults results in differences in the approach to managing medical emergencies.²

The aim of this paper is to highlight some of these differences and give an overview of management of paediatric emergencies.

For the purpose of this article, it is worth noting the Resuscitation Council UK’s definitions of infant and child:³

The key differences and recommendations are considered in this paper in order of management priority based on the ABCDE approach. The ABCDE approach is the basis of both the assessment and management of seriously ill and/or injured children.