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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 finding in a newborn suggests Hirschsprung disease?
AProjectile vomiting at 4 weeks
BA barking cough
CFailure to pass meconium within 48 hours of birth
DBright yellow, loose stools
2.Pediatric nursingHard
A school-age child takes methylphenidate for ADHD. Which teaching point is most important?
ATake it at bedtime to help sleep
BStop it on school days only
CDouble the dose on days with tests at school to improve concentration further
DTake the dose in the morning, and monitor appetite, sleep and growth
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 20 units/kg/h for a patient who weighs 74 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, in mL/h? Round to one decimal place.
25 000 units/500 mL20 units/kg/h74 kg
R = mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosingHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A dobutamine infusion of 250 mg in 250 mL runs at 15 mL/h. The patient weighs 55 kg. What dose D in mcg/kg/min is the patient receiving? Round to one decimal place.
250 mg/250 mL15 mL/h55 kg
D = mcg/kg/min
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 mLwater: 120 mLtea: 150 mLIV infusion: 75 mL/h × 12 hIV antibiotic: 2 × 100 mL
I = mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balanceHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 1000 mL bag runs by pump at 125 mL/h. At 10:00, 350 mL have already been infused. How many hours t until the bag is empty? Round to one decimal place.
1000 mL350 mL infused125 mL/h
t = h
3Solutions
1.Pediatric nursing
Answer: C · Failure to pass meconium within 48 hours of birth
Why this is the answer
Delayed passage of meconium, abdominal distension and bilious vomiting suggest Hirschsprung disease. Older children may have chronic constipation and ribbon-like stools.
Answer
C · Failure to pass meconium within 48 hours of birth
2.Pediatric nursing
Answer: D · Take the dose in the morning, and monitor appetite, sleep and growth
Why this is the answer
Stimulants can reduce appetite and cause insomnia, so they are given early in the day. Height, weight, blood pressure and heart rate are monitored during treatment.
Answer
D · Take the dose in the morning, and monitor appetite, sleep and growth
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 29.6 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
20·74 = 1 480 units/h
Concentration
25 000/500 = 50 units/mL
Pump rate
R = 1480/50 = 29.6 mL/h
Answer
R = 29.6 mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: D = 4.5 mcg/kg/min
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
250 000/250 = 1000 mcg/mL
Micrograms per minute
15·1000 = 15000 mcg/h
15000/60 = 250 mcg/min
Per kilogram
D = 250/55 = 4.545 ≈ 4.5 mcg/kg/min
Answer
D = 4.5 mcg/kg/min
5.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: I = 1550 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 + 120 + 150 = 450 mL
IV infusion: 75·12 = 900 mL
IV antibiotic: 2·100 = 200 mL
I = 1550 mL
Answer
I = 1550 mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: t = 5.2 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.
Volume left
1000 − 350 = 650 mL
Time
t = 650/125 = 5.2 h
Answer
t = 5.2 h
That is about 5 h 12 min, so the bag runs out at about 15:12.