More than 500 children could be saved each year! Ten theses to improve the quality of pediatric resuscitation in German-speaking regions. Position paper of the Austrian, German and Swiss resuscitation councils

Physical and mental disabilities resulting froma child's cardiac arrest are of exceptional family and social concern. Recent studies showed that the quality of pediatric resuscitation often does not meet recommended standards. Implementation of these 10 evidence-based measures published here can help improve survival rates and morbidity in resuscitated children. These 10 theses are intended to focus on the broad range of issues surrounding resuscitation of children and adolescents. It begins with improved prevention and recognition of life-threatening events in children to prevent respiratory and circulatory arrest. In the case of resuscitation, it can only be effective if consistent and sustained training is provided. Learning from each patient is the most important thing. The quality of resuscitation and the postresuscitation phase must be measured and evaluated to identify aspects for optimization. Structured collection of treatment and outcome data in a centralized, mandatory registry offers the opportunity to identify strengths of in-hospital and out-of-hospital care and to develop concepts for quality improvement. These theses and basic principles are also supported by the Austrian, German, and Swiss Resuscitation Councils and have already been published in Frontiers in Pediatrics.