Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 6 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.
Which signs suggest digoxin toxicity in a child?
A child treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for Kawasaki disease is due her MMR vaccine next week. What should the nurse know?
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). An infusion of 100 units of regular insulin in 250 mL runs at 3 mL/h. How many units per hour D does the patient receive?
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient who weighs 70 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.
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). The record shows a patient's intake and output for one 8-hour shift. The patient weighs 90 kg. Find the average urine output U in mL/kg/h. Round to two decimal places.
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 1000 mL bag runs by pump at 120 mL/h. At 15:30, 200 mL have already been infused. How many hours t until the bag is empty? Round to one decimal place.
Answer: C · Nausea, vomiting, poor feeding and a slow heart rate
Early signs of digoxin toxicity in children include anorexia, nausea, vomiting and bradycardia or other arrhythmias. Low potassium increases the risk of toxicity, so potassium levels are monitored.
Answer: D · Live vaccines are usually delayed for several months after IVIG
Antibodies in IVIG can neutralise live vaccine viruses and stop the vaccine from working, so MMR and varicella are usually postponed for several months (often about 11 months) after high-dose IVIG. Inactivated vaccines are not affected in the same way.
Answer: D = 1.2 units/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.
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.
The order is per minute for the whole patient, so the weight is not needed.
Answer: U = 1.01 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.
Answer: t = 6.7 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.
That is about 6 h 40 min, so the bag runs out at about 22:10.
ExamProblems · examproblems.com/courses/pediatric-nursing