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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
In a large ventricular septal defect, in which direction does blood mainly flow through the defect?
AFrom right to left, causing cyanosis from birth
BThere is no flow at all, because the pressures in both ventricles are always equal
CFrom left to right, increasing blood flow to the lungs
DFrom the aorta into the pulmonary veins
2.Pediatric nursingHard
After surgery for a perforated appendix, why is a child often nursed in a semi-upright position?
ATo prevent the child from sleeping too deeply
BTo help infected fluid collect in the pelvis rather than spread upwards
CTo make it easier for the child to watch television
DTo stop the wound drain from removing fluid too fast during the first day
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 71 kg. The vial contains 5 000 units/mL. What volume V do you draw up? Round to one decimal place.
80 units/kg71 kg5 000 units/mL
V = mL
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosingHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A bag contains dopamine 800 mg in 500 mL. The order is 5 mcg/kg/min for a patient who weighs 87 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, in mL/h? Round to one decimal place.
800 mg/500 mL5 mcg/kg/min87 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 patient weighs 58 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 150 mL/h. At 19:00, 250 mL have already been infused. How many hours t until the bag is empty? Round to one decimal place.
1000 mL250 mL infused150 mL/h
t = h
3Solutions
1.Pediatric nursing
Answer: C · From left to right, increasing blood flow to the lungs
Why this is the answer
Left ventricular pressure is higher, so blood flows from left to right, overloading the lungs and right heart. This causes increased pulmonary blood flow and can lead to heart failure in infancy.
Answer
C · From left to right, increasing blood flow to the lungs
2.Pediatric nursing
Answer: B · To help infected fluid collect in the pelvis rather than spread upwards
Why this is the answer
A semi-upright position helps any infected fluid drain towards the pelvis, where an abscess is easier to manage, rather than tracking under the diaphragm. It also eases breathing and coughing after abdominal surgery.
Answer
B · To help infected fluid collect in the pelvis rather than spread upwards
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: V = 1.1 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
80·71 = 5 680 units
Volume
V = 5680/5000 = 1.136 ≈ 1.1 mL
Answer
V = 1.1 mL
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 16.3 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
800 mg = 800 000 mcg
800 000/500 = 1600 mcg/mL
Dose per minute and per hour
5·87 = 435 mcg/min
435·60 = 26100 mcg/h
Pump rate
R = 26100/1600 = 16.31 ≈ 16.3 mL/h
Answer
R = 16.3 mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: U = 1.36 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.
Total urine
300 + 375 + 275 = 950 mL
Per kilogram per hour
U = 950/(58·12) = 1.365 ≈ 1.36 mL/kg/h
Answer
U = 1.36 mL/kg/h
6.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: t = 5 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 − 250 = 750 mL
Time
t = 750/150 = 5 h
Answer
t = 5 h
That is about 5 h 00 min, so the bag runs out at about 00:00.