In the print window, choose “Save as PDF” to keep a copy on your device.
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
A child is sent home after a minor head injury. Which sign should parents report straight away?
ARepeated vomiting
BA small bump on the forehead
CWanting a nap at the usual time
DMild soreness at the site
2.Pediatric nursingHard
The 7-year-old brother of a child with cancer has started misbehaving at school. What is the most likely explanation?
AHe may feel worried, jealous or left out and needs attention and information
BIt is unrelated to the illness and is normal for his age
CHe is copying behaviour from other children in his class
DHe has developed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and needs medicine
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosingMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A bag contains 25 000 units of heparin in 500 mL. The order is 12 units/kg/h for a patient who weighs 70 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, in mL/h? Round to one decimal place.
25 000 units/500 mL12 units/kg/h70 kg
R = mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosingHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A bag contains dobutamine 500 mg in 250 mL. The order is 10 mcg/kg/min for a patient who weighs 93 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, in mL/h? Round to one decimal place.
500 mg/250 mL10 mcg/kg/min93 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.
soup: 180 mLtea: 200 mLmilk: 200 mLIV infusion: 100 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 bag was started at 06:45 and runs by pump at 50 mL/h. How many mL V are left in the bag at 11:45?
1000 mL50 mL/h06:45 → 11:45
V = mL
3Solutions
1.Pediatric nursing
Answer: A · Repeated vomiting
Why this is the answer
Parents should seek urgent help for repeated vomiting, increasing drowsiness or difficulty waking, worsening headache, confusion, seizures, unequal pupils or weakness. A small bump and mild local pain are common.
Answer
A · Repeated vomiting
2.Pediatric nursing
Answer: A · He may feel worried, jealous or left out and needs attention and information
Why this is the answer
Siblings of seriously ill children often feel neglected, anxious, guilty or jealous and may show this through behaviour changes. Family-centred care includes giving siblings age-appropriate information, involvement and time with parents.
Answer
A · He may feel worried, jealous or left out and needs attention and information
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 16.8 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
12·70 = 840 units/h
Concentration
25 000/500 = 50 units/mL
Pump rate
R = 840/50 = 16.8 mL/h
Answer
R = 16.8 mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 27.9 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
500 mg = 500 000 mcg
500 000/250 = 2000 mcg/mL
Dose per minute and per hour
10·93 = 930 mcg/min
930·60 = 55800 mcg/h
Pump rate
R = 55800/2000 = 27.9 mL/h
Answer
R = 27.9 mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: I = 1830 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: 180 + 200 + 200 = 580 mL
IV infusion: 100·12 = 1200 mL
IV antibiotic: 1·50 = 50 mL
I = 1830 mL
Answer
I = 1830 mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: V = 750 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.