Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine: The Pediatrician's Role in Advocating Life Support Courses for Parents

The leading causes of death and disability of children are injuries and medical illnesses presenting emergently. Most of these conditions are either preventable or reversible if treated in a timely fashion. Respiratory disease can rapidly progress to respiratory insufficiency and death in small children.² Inhaled foreign bodies also account for a significant amount of infant morbidity and mortality.³ Choking-rescue maneuvers and airway-clearing and breathing techniques which are taught in CPR courses can be lifesaving for children with severe respiratory disease and obstructed airways.