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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 activity best supports a 9-year-old during a long hospital stay?
APlaying with baby toys in the toddler playroom with younger children
BSchoolwork and contact with classmates, plus games or hobbies
CWatching television alone for most of the day
DStaying in bed with no visitors to rest
2.Pediatric nursingHard
In England, a 15-year-old asks a nurse for contraception and does not want her parents told. Which principle applies?
AThe nurse must inform her parents and her school straight away
BContraception may only be given once she reaches the age of 18
CShe may consent herself if judged competent (Gillick and Fraser)
DShe can never receive contraception without written consent from a parent
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosingMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A practice protocol calls for a heparin bolus of 80 units/kg for a patient who weighs 70 kg. The vial contains 1 000 units/mL. What volume V do you draw up? Round to one decimal place.
80 units/kg70 kg1 000 units/mL
V = mL
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 5 mcg/kg/min for a patient who weighs 96 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, in mL/h? Round to one decimal place.
250 mg/250 mL5 mcg/kg/min96 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 fluid balance B = intake − output in mL (a negative answer means a net loss).
jelly: 120 mLmilk: 200 mLIV infusion: 80 mL/h × 12 hIV antibiotic: 1 × 100 mLurine: 500 mLurine: 275 mL
B = mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balanceHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 500 mL bag was started at 09:45 and runs by pump at 120 mL/h. How many mL V are left in the bag at 12:15?
500 mL120 mL/h09:45 → 12:15
V = mL
3Solutions
1.Pediatric nursing
Answer: B · Schoolwork and contact with classmates, plus games or hobbies
Why this is the answer
School-age children need to feel competent and connected. Hospital school, contact with friends and age-appropriate games, crafts and collections support Erikson's task of industry and reduce feelings of isolation.
Answer
B · Schoolwork and contact with classmates, plus games or hobbies
2.Pediatric nursing
Answer: C · She may consent herself if judged competent (Gillick and Fraser)
Why this is the answer
Under the Gillick case and Fraser guidelines, a young person under 16 who understands the treatment and its implications can consent to contraception. Staff encourage involving parents and assess for any safeguarding concerns.
Answer
C · She may consent herself if judged competent (Gillick and Fraser)
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: V = 5.6 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
80·70 = 5 600 units
Volume
V = 5600/1000 = 5.6 mL
Answer
V = 5.6 mL
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 28.8 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
5·96 = 480 mcg/min
480·60 = 28800 mcg/h
Pump rate
R = 28800/1000 = 28.8 mL/h
Answer
R = 28.8 mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: B = 605 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.
Total intake
oral: 120 + 200 = 320 mL
IV infusion: 80·12 = 960 mL
IV antibiotic: 1·100 = 100 mL
total intake = 1380 mL
Total output
500 + 275 = 775 mL
Balance
B = 1380 − 775 = 605 mL
Answer
B = 605 mL
Positive: more fluid went in than came out.
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.