Death of a Child in the ED

The goal of palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care for children and their families is to provide them with the best care and support possible and to do so reliably and consistently, no matter how or where a child is cared for.

This document provides steps in how to respond after the death of a pediatric patient, from the necessary administrative duties, to how to communicate the news and what care should be initiated.

This clinical report addresses the topic of pre-existing do not attempt resuscitation or limited resuscitation orders for children and adolescents undergoing anesthesia and surgery.

Collaborative decision making around LSMT is improved by thorough communication among all stakeholders, including medical staff, the family, and the patient, when possible, throughout the evolving course of the patient’s illness. Clear communication of overall goals of care is advised to promote agreed-on plans, including resuscitation status.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Emergency Nurses Association have collaborated to identify practices and principles to guide the care of children, families, and staff in the challenging and uncommon event of the death of a child in the emergency department

Technical report reaffirm principles of patient and family-centered care. Recent literature is examined regarding family presence, termination of resuscitation, bereavement responsibilities of ED clinicians.

The purpose of this summary is to highlight areas of conflict or controversy in current pediatric basic and advanced life support guidelines, outline solutions considered, and provide recommendations reached by consensus of the working group.