HEMS Debrief - Cardiac Arrest Focus #17, Dr Janice Tijssen - the Paediatric Perspective

G'day and welcome back to the HEMS debrief podcast.

It is 2026, and we are kicking off with an episode of the cardiac arrest mini-series dedicated to paediatric cardiac arrest.

Sadly Nat could not join, so instead Sam alone is in conversation with Dr Janice Tijssen.

Janice is a paediatric critical care physician from London, Ontario. Having trained in London (Ontario) and Toronto, Janice is now a member of the Paediatric Life Support Taskforce for the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) and is the medical director for her hospital's Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) education program. Too, Janice leads her hospital's Paediatric Critical Care Outreach Team (PCCOT).

In this episode, we reflect on the changes in the recent ILCOR guidelines around paediatric cardiac arrest, as well as deep dive into some of the physiology of the arrested paediatric patient, asking both how can we prevent arrest, and how can we optimise the arrested physiology to best achieve sustained ROSC.

We sure hope you enjoy this episode, there is a lot in here for any paediatric critical care provider.

As we move deeper into 2026, the podcast will re-introduce episodes on more general Retrieval / Aeromedical topics, addressing both the technical and non-technical of this fascinating and challenging speciality. Do hit subscribe to stay up to date! And as ever, thank you for listening.

We are delighted to be sponsored by Corpuls - delivering high-tech and innovative equipment for emergency and intensive care medicine for over 35 years.