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1Formulas and methods
Pediatric nursing
Method
Note the child’s age first: it sets the normal vital signs, the milestones and the right pain scale.
Assess airway, breathing and circulation, remembering that children compensate and then deteriorate fast.
Match the action to the development stage and involve the family.
Check that the answer is safe for a child: weight-based, no aspirin in viral illness, no codeine under 12.
Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Daily dose
mg/day = mg/kg/day × weight (kg)
Doses per day
number = 24 h / dosing interval (h)
Pounds to kilograms
kg = lb / 2.2
Infusion concentration
units/mL = units in bag / bag volume
Pump rate
mL/h = dose per hour / concentration
Titrated drip
mL/h = mcg/kg/min × kg × 60 / (mcg/mL)
Dose from pump rate
mcg/kg/min = mL/h × (mcg/mL) / (60 × kg)
Units
1 mg = 1000 mcg
IV fluids & fluid balance
Holliday–Segar per hour
4 mL/kg (first 10 kg) + 2 mL/kg (next 10 kg) + 1 mL/kg (each kg above 20)
Holliday–Segar per day
100 / 50 / 20 mL/kg for the same bands
Fluid balance
intake − output
Ice chips
count as half their volume
Urine output
mL/kg/h = mL / (kg × h)
Infusion time
time (h) = volume left (mL) / rate (mL/h)
Volume infused
mL = rate × time
2Practice problems
1.Pediatric nursingMedium
How should oral rehydration solution be given to a child with mild to moderate dehydration who is vomiting?
AIn small amounts, frequently, for example with a spoon or syringe
BMixed with fruit juice to improve the taste
COnly after the vomiting has stopped for 24 hours, to avoid further losses
DAs one large drink every few hours
2.Pediatric nursingHard
Which child should the nurse see first?
AA 2-year-old with croup who has a barking cough but no stridor at rest
BA 4-year-old with asthma who can say only one or two words between breaths
CA 5-month-old with bronchiolitis who has an oxygen saturation of 95% and is feeding
DA 6-year-old with asthma whose peak flow is 85% of his best after salbutamol
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosingMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A bag contains 25 000 units of heparin in 250 mL. The order is 12 units/kg/h for a patient who weighs 103 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, in mL/h? Round to one decimal place.
25 000 units/250 mL12 units/kg/h103 kg
R = mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosingHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient who weighs 55 kg has an order for nitroglycerin at 40 mcg/min. The bag contains 50 mg in 250 mL. Find the pump rate R in mL/h. Round to one decimal place.
50 mg/250 mL40 mcg/min55 kg
R = mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balanceMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). The record shows a patient's intake and output for one 8-hour shift. The IV infusion ran at the rate shown for the whole shift. Find the total intake I in mL.
juice: 200 mLsoup: 200 mLIV infusion: 50 mL/h × 8 hIV antibiotic: 1 × 100 mL
I = mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balanceHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 500 mL bag was started at 13:30 and runs by pump at 60 mL/h. How many mL V are left in the bag at 19:00?
500 mL60 mL/h13:30 → 19:00
V = mL
3Solutions
1.Pediatric nursing
Answer: A · In small amounts, frequently, for example with a spoon or syringe
Why this is the answer
Small, frequent sips are usually tolerated even with vomiting. Juice and fizzy drinks contain too much sugar and too little salt and can worsen diarrhoea.
Answer
A · In small amounts, frequently, for example with a spoon or syringe
2.Pediatric nursing
Answer: B · A 4-year-old with asthma who can say only one or two words between breaths
Why this is the answer
Being unable to speak in sentences is a sign of severe or life-threatening asthma and needs immediate treatment. The other children have mild illness or are responding to treatment.
Answer
B · A 4-year-old with asthma who can say only one or two words between breaths
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 12.4 mL/h
Heparin and insulin infusions: concentration = units in the bag/bag volume (units/mL). Pump rate (mL/h) = units per hour/concentration, and units per hour = mL/h × concentration. For a weight-based order, units/h = units/kg/h × weight first. A bolus volume = units needed/vial strength. The numbers are for practice only; at the bedside always follow local protocols and have high-risk doses double-checked.
Units per hour
12·103 = 1 236 units/h
Concentration
25 000/250 = 100 units/mL
Pump rate
R = 1236/100 = 12.36 ≈ 12.4 mL/h
Answer
R = 12.4 mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 12 mL/h
Titrated drips: first find the concentration in mcg/mL (mg × 1000/mL). For a weight-based order, mcg/min = mcg/kg/min × weight. Then mL/h = mcg/min × 60/concentration. Working backwards, mcg/kg/min = mL/h × concentration/(60 × weight). The numbers are for practice only; at the bedside always follow local protocols and have high-risk doses double-checked.
Concentration
50 000/250 = 200 mcg/mL
Dose per hour
The order is per minute for the whole patient, so the weight is not needed.
40·60 = 2400 mcg/h
Pump rate
R = 2400/200 = 12 mL/h
Answer
R = 12 mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: I = 900 mL
Intake and output: intake counts everything that goes in (oral fluids, IV infusions, IV medications and flushes, tube feeds); ice chips count as half their volume. Output counts urine, drains, vomit and other losses. Balance = total intake − total output; a negative balance is a net loss. The numbers are for practice only; at the bedside always follow local protocols and have high-risk doses double-checked.
Add the intake
oral: 200 + 200 = 400 mL
IV infusion: 50·8 = 400 mL
IV antibiotic: 1·100 = 100 mL
I = 900 mL
Answer
I = 900 mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: V = 170 mL
Infusion time: time (h) = volume to infuse (mL)/rate (mL/h); use the volume still left in the bag, not the bag size. Volume infused = rate × time. Convert decimal hours to hours and minutes with the fraction × 60 (0.5 h = 30 min, not 50 min). The numbers are for practice only; at the bedside always follow local protocols and have high-risk doses double-checked.