Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 6 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.
Which newborn problem may be the first sign of cystic fibrosis?
A child with a head injury now has rising blood pressure, a falling heart rate and irregular breathing. What does this indicate?
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A practice protocol calls for a heparin bolus of 70 units/kg for a patient who weighs 92 kg. The vial contains 5 000 units/mL. What volume V do you draw up? Round to one decimal place.
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A bag contains dobutamine 500 mg in 250 mL. The order is 12.5 mcg/kg/min for a patient who weighs 109 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, 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 IV infusion ran at the rate shown for the whole shift. Find the total intake I in mL.
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 500 mL bag runs by pump at 125 mL/h. At 10:30, 100 mL have already been infused. How many hours t until the bag is empty? Round to one decimal place.
Answer: A · Meconium ileus
In about 10–20% of babies with CF, thick, sticky meconium blocks the small bowel (meconium ileus), causing distension and vomiting. Newborn screening also helps detect CF early.
Answer: C · A late sign of raised intracranial pressure; an emergency
Hypertension with a widening pulse pressure, bradycardia and irregular respirations is Cushing's triad, a late sign of raised intracranial pressure and possible brain herniation. Immediate emergency treatment is needed.
Answer: V = 1.3 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.
Answer: R = 40.9 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.
Answer: I = 1400 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.
Answer: t = 3.2 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.
That is about 3 h 12 min, so the bag runs out at about 13:42.
ExamProblems · examproblems.com/courses/pediatric-nursing