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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 diet is usually advised for a child with nephrotic syndrome while there is oedema?
AA high-salt diet to replace losses in the urine
BA protein-free diet to rest the kidneys completely
CA carbohydrate-free diet to reduce fluid retention
DNo added salt
2.Pediatric nursingHard
A conscious 10-year-old with type 1 diabetes is shaky and sweaty, with a blood glucose of 3.2 mmol/L. What is the first action?
AGive the next dose of insulin
BGive a fast-acting carbohydrate by mouth and recheck the glucose after about 15 minutes
CGive a large meal containing only protein and fat, and recheck the glucose at the next mealtime
DLet the child sleep it off
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 14 units/kg/h for a patient who weighs 99 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, in mL/h? Round to one decimal place.
25 000 units/500 mL14 units/kg/h99 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 6 mL/h. The patient weighs 57 kg. What dose D in mcg/kg/min is the patient receiving? Round to one decimal place.
250 mg/250 mL6 mL/h57 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. Count ice chips as half their volume.
tea: 240 mLjelly: 120 mLice chips: 100 mLIV infusion: 60 mL/h × 12 hIV antibiotic: 2 × 100 mL
I = mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balanceHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 500 mL bag runs by pump at 125 mL/h. At 20:00, 200 mL have already been infused. How many hours t until the bag is empty? Round to one decimal place.
500 mL200 mL infused125 mL/h
t = h
3Solutions
1.Pediatric nursing
Answer: D · No added salt
Why this is the answer
During the oedematous phase, salt is limited to reduce fluid retention, and fluids may be restricted if advised. Protein is not stopped; a normal, balanced intake for age is usually recommended.
Answer
D · No added salt
2.Pediatric nursing
Answer: B · Give a fast-acting carbohydrate by mouth and recheck the glucose after about 15 minutes
Why this is the answer
A conscious child with hypoglycaemia needs fast-acting carbohydrate, such as glucose tablets or juice, then a recheck after about 15 minutes, then a longer-acting carbohydrate snack once recovered. Glucagon is for a child who cannot take anything by mouth.
Answer
B · Give a fast-acting carbohydrate by mouth and recheck the glucose after about 15 minutes
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 27.7 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
14·99 = 1 386 units/h
Concentration
25 000/500 = 50 units/mL
Pump rate
R = 1386/50 = 27.72 ≈ 27.7 mL/h
Answer
R = 27.7 mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: D = 1.8 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
6·1000 = 6000 mcg/h
6000/60 = 100 mcg/min
Per kilogram
D = 100/57 = 1.754 ≈ 1.8 mcg/kg/min
Answer
D = 1.8 mcg/kg/min
5.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: I = 1330 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: 240 + 120 = 360 mL
ice chips: 100/2 = 50 mL
IV infusion: 60·12 = 720 mL
IV antibiotic: 2·100 = 200 mL
I = 1330 mL
Answer
I = 1330 mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: t = 2.4 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
500 − 200 = 300 mL
Time
t = 300/125 = 2.4 h
Answer
t = 2.4 h
That is about 2 h 24 min, so the bag runs out at about 22:24.