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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
Which injury in an infant is most suggestive of physical abuse?
AA scraped knee in a 3-year-old
BPosterior rib fractures
CA greenstick fracture of the forearm after a fall from a slide
DA bruise on the shin of a walking toddler
2.Pediatric nursingHard
A child with sickle cell disease has new chest pain, cough, fever and an oxygen saturation of 90%. What should the nurse suspect?
AA mild cold
BNormal pain from a limb crisis
CAcute chest syndrome, an emergency
DAnxiety about being in hospital
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosingMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). An infusion contains 250 units of regular insulin in 250 mL. The order is 0.05 units/kg/h for a patient who weighs 66 kg. Find the pump rate R in mL/h. Round to one decimal place.
250 units/250 mL0.05 units/kg/h66 kg
R = mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosingHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A bag contains dobutamine 250 mg in 250 mL. The order is 7.5 mcg/kg/min for a patient who weighs 107 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, in mL/h? Round to one decimal place.
250 mg/250 mL7.5 mcg/kg/min107 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 12-hour shift. The IV infusion ran at the rate shown for the whole shift. Find the total intake I in mL. Count ice chips as half their volume.
milk: 200 mLjuice: 200 mLice chips: 200 mLIV infusion: 75 mL/h × 12 hIV antibiotic: 1 × 50 mL
I = mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balanceHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 1000 mL infusion starts at 11:30 at 120 mL/h. After 3 hours the rate is changed to 60 mL/h and is not changed again. How many hours t after the start will the bag be empty? Round to one decimal place.
1000 mL120 mL/h · 3 h60 mL/h
t = h
3Solutions
1.Pediatric nursing
Answer: B · Posterior rib fractures
Why this is the answer
Posterior rib fractures in infants are highly suggestive of abuse because they usually result from forceful squeezing of the chest. Bruises on the shins and grazes are common in mobile children.
Answer
B · Posterior rib fractures
2.Pediatric nursing
Answer: C · Acute chest syndrome, an emergency
Why this is the answer
Acute chest syndrome causes chest pain, fever, respiratory symptoms, hypoxia and new changes on the chest X-ray. It is a leading cause of death in sickle cell disease and needs urgent treatment.
Answer
C · Acute chest syndrome, an emergency
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 3.3 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
0.05·66 = 3.3 units/h
Concentration
250/250 = 1 units/mL
Pump rate
R = 3.3/1 = 3.3 mL/h
Answer
R = 3.3 mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 48.2 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
250 mg = 250 000 mcg
250 000/250 = 1000 mcg/mL
Dose per minute and per hour
7.5·107 = 802.5 mcg/min
802.5·60 = 48150 mcg/h
Pump rate
R = 48150/1000 = 48.15 ≈ 48.2 mL/h
Answer
R = 48.2 mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: I = 1450 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
ice chips: 200/2 = 100 mL
IV infusion: 75·12 = 900 mL
IV antibiotic: 1·50 = 50 mL
I = 1450 mL
Answer
I = 1450 mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: t = 13.7 h
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.
First part
120·3 = 360 mL
1000 − 360 = 640 mL left
Second part
640/60 = 10.67 h
Total time
t = 3 + 10.67 = 13.67 ≈ 13.7 h
Answer
t = 13.7 h
That is about 13 h 40 min, so the bag runs out at about 01:10.