Pediatric Nursing: cram pack

Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 6 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.

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1Formulas and methods

Pediatric nursing

Method

  1. Note the child’s age first: it sets the normal vital signs, the milestones and the right pain scale.
  2. Assess airway, breathing and circulation, remembering that children compensate and then deteriorate fast.
  3. Match the action to the development stage and involve the family.
  4. 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 with suspected epiglottitis is drooling and sitting forward. Which action must be avoided?

  1. AKeeping the child with a parent
  2. BAllowing the child to sit in the position they choose
  3. CCalling a team skilled in airway management
  4. DExamining the throat with a tongue depressor
2.Pediatric nursingHard

Which finding in a 12-month-old needs further developmental evaluation?

  1. ABecomes upset when a stranger picks her up
  2. BSays "mama" and "dada" to the right parent and waves bye-bye
  3. CPulls to stand and walks holding on to furniture
  4. DA strong Moro reflex is still present
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosingMedium
heparin 5 000 units/mL60 units/kg · 78 kg → V = ? mL

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A practice protocol calls for a heparin bolus of 60 units/kg for a patient who weighs 78 kg. The vial contains 5 000 units/mL. What volume V do you draw up? Round to two decimal places.

60 units/kg78 kg5 000 units/mL
V = mL
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosingHard
25 mg250 mLnitroglycerin? mL/h60 kg10 mcg/min

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient who weighs 60 kg has an order for nitroglycerin at 10 mcg/min. The bag contains 25 mg in 250 mL. Find the pump rate R in mL/h. Round to one decimal place.

25 mg/250 mL10 mcg/min60 kg
R = mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balanceMedium
IntakeOutput12-hour shiftwater240 mLjelly100 mLice chips200 mLIV infusion125 mL/h × 12 hIV antibiotic1 × 100 mLurine150 mLurine500 mLwound drain80 mL

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). The record shows a patient's intake and output for one 12-hour shift. The patient weighs 99 kg. Find the average urine output U in mL/kg/h. Round to two decimal places.

99 kg12 hurine: 150 mLurine: 500 mLwound drain: 80 mL
U = mL/kg/h
6.IV fluids & fluid balanceHard
1000 mL100 mL/hstart 09:4517:45: ? mL

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 1000 mL bag was started at 09:45 and runs by pump at 100 mL/h. How many mL V are left in the bag at 17:45?

1000 mL100 mL/h09:45 → 17:45
V = mL

3Solutions

1.Pediatric nursing

Answer: D · Examining the throat with a tongue depressor

Why this is the answer

Examining the throat, laying the child down or causing distress can trigger complete airway obstruction. Keep the child calm and upright and get expert airway help.

Answer

D · Examining the throat with a tongue depressor
2.Pediatric nursing

Answer: D · A strong Moro reflex is still present

Why this is the answer

Primitive reflexes such as the Moro fade by about 4–6 months; persistence at 12 months can suggest a neurological problem such as cerebral palsy. The other findings are normal for a 1-year-old.

Answer

D · A strong Moro reflex is still present
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing

Answer: V = 0.94 mL

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 needed

60·78 = 4 680 units

Volume

V = 4680/5000 = 0.936 ≈ 0.94 mL

Answer

V = 0.94 mL
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing

Answer: R = 6 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

25 000/250 = 100 mcg/mL

Dose per hour

The order is per minute for the whole patient, so the weight is not needed.

10·60 = 600 mcg/h

Pump rate

R = 600/100 = 6 mL/h

Answer

R = 6 mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balance

Answer: U = 0.55 mL/kg/h

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.

Total urine

150 + 500 = 650 mL

Per kilogram per hour

U = 650/(99·12) = 0.5471 ≈ 0.55 mL/kg/h

Answer

U = 0.55 mL/kg/h
6.IV fluids & fluid balance

Answer: V = 200 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.

Elapsed time

09:45 → 17:45 = 8 h

Volume infused

100·8 = 800 mL

Volume left

V = 1000 − 800 = 200 mL

Answer

V = 200 mL

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