Improving breathing during CPR for children
Official title: OPTImal VENTilation to Improve Pediatric Cardiac Arrest Outcomes
Funded at Children's Hosp of Philadelphia · NIH-11261227 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project trains hospital teams to use cue cards and a metronome so providers give guided, faster breaths during pediatric CPR to try to help more children survive cardiac arrest.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Hosp of Philadelphia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | January 20, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $791,422 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD114622-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11261227 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children (generally newborn through about age 11) who experience cardiac arrest and receive CPR at participating pediatric hospitals are the intended candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who have cardiac arrest outside participating hospitals, adults, or children with injuries too severe for recovery may not benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
If your child has a cardiac arrest in the hospital, this project teaches care teams to follow a specific breathing rate during CPR using education, CPR cue cards, and a ventilation metronome. The program, called OPTI-VENT, was already shown to train providers to reach target breaths per minute and will be rolled out in stages across hospitals. Researchers will compare outcomes before and after hospitals adopt the bundle to see whether the training improves survival and recovery. The trial uses a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized design so hospitals switch to the intervention at different times and results reflect real-world practice.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could increase survival and recovery after pediatric cardiac arrest by improving how breaths are given during CPR.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work showed the OPTI-VENT bundle reliably trains providers to hit the recommended ventilation rate, but whether that change improves clinical outcomes has not yet been proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Children's Hosp of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sutton, Robert Michael — Children's Hosp of Philadelphia
- Study coordinator: Sutton, Robert Michael
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Multi-center study on how ventilation during CPR relates to cardiac arrest outcomes
A large, real-world study will look at how ventilation during CPR affects survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in adults.
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Specialized post-arrest care after cardiac arrest
A large, nationwide effort tests whether transferring cardiac arrest patients to a specialized post-arrest care center improves recovery compared with usual care.
-
Reduce bias in predicting brain recovery after cardiac arrest
This project aims to make brain-recovery predictions more accurate for people who survive cardiac arrest by comparing outcomes between the United States and Brazil.
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Fairer brain recovery predictions after cardiac arrest through U.S.–Brazil collaboration
This project aims to find better ways to predict brain recovery for people who survive cardiac arrest but have possible brain injury.
-
Improving predictions of brain recovery after cardiac arrest
This project compares outcomes after cardiac arrest in the U.S. and Brazil to learn which tests best predict who will regain brain function for people who survive cardiac arrest.
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Reducing biased predictions of brain recovery after cardiac arrest
This project looks at cardiac arrest survivors in the US and Brazil to find more accurate ways to predict brain recovery and avoid premature stopping of life support.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.