Pediatric advanced life support

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) is a 2-day (with an additional self study day) American Heart Association training program co-branded with the American Academy of Pediatrics.[1] The goal of the course is to aid the pediatric healthcare provider in developing the knowledge and skills necessary to efficiently and effectively manage critically ill infants and children, resulting in improved outcomes. Professional healthcare providers use PALS during the stabilization and transportation phases of a pediatric emergency, in or out of hospital.

Skills taught include recognition and treatment of infants and children at risk for cardiopulmonary arrest; the systematic approach to pediatric assessment; effective respiratory management; defibrillation and synchronized cardioversion; intraosseous access and fluid bolus administration; and effective resuscitation team dynamics.[2]

PETA has criticized the use of animals in PALS training which the organization calls "cruel and unnecessary".[3] PETA says that hundreds of PALS training centers have begun using simulators in response to concerns regarding the animals' welfare.[4] The American Heart Association neither endorses nor requires the use of animals in intubation training.[5]