Effects of Sternal Wall Pressure in Children

This protocol is a prospective, pilot, observational study in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Progressive Care Unit (PCU) and the Operating Room (OR) settings at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). We propose to observe, measure and report the effect of incremental gentle sternal pressure increases on intrathoracic pressure, and other surrogates of hemodynamic function, in stable mechanically ventilated children. This study will provide preliminary data to inform the resuscitation research community and assist development of evidence-based pediatric resuscitation guidelines in the future.