Table 1.

Characteristics of Pediatric vs Adult In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Characteristic	Pediatric patients3–5,7	Adult patients4,6,7
Incidence	Approximately 15 200/y in United States	Approximately 292 000/y in United States
Age	Median: 1–2 y; mean: 3–5 ya	Mean: 66 y
Male sex	50%−55%	60%
Hospital location	85%−90% In monitored settingsb	50% In monitored settingsb
Airway in place	Approximately 80%	Approximately 30%−35%
Cause of cardiac arrest	Most with respiratory failure and/or progressive shock	50%−60% Cardiac; 15%−40% respiratory
Initial cardiac arrest rhythm	50% Bradycardia with poor perfusion; 40% other nonshockable rhythms	80% Nonshockable rhythms (pulseless electrical activity or asystole)
Survivalto discharge	45%−50% (40%Among those with pulseless events)	25%
Neurological outcome	Favorable in 80%−90% of survivorsc	Good functional status in 80% of survivorsd

^aAge depends on inclusion criteria of studies.

^bMonitored settings include intensive care units, emergency departments, and operating rooms.

^cPediatric Cerebral Performance Category scale (range: 1–6, with 1 indicating normal function and 6 indicating brain death⁸): 1 to 3 or unchanged from baseline.

^dCerebral Performance Category scale: 1 or 2.