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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
A child with suspected epiglottitis is drooling and sitting forward. Which action must be avoided?
AKeeping the child with a parent
BAllowing the child to sit in the position they choose
CCalling a team skilled in airway management
DExamining the throat with a tongue depressor
2.Pediatric nursingHard
Which finding in a 12-month-old needs further developmental evaluation?
ABecomes upset when a stranger picks her up
BSays "mama" and "dada" to the right parent and waves bye-bye
CPulls to stand and walks holding on to furniture
DA strong Moro reflex is still present
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosingMedium
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
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
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
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.