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?
After surgery for a perforated appendix, why is a child often nursed in a semi-upright position?
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 100 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 250 mg in 250 mL. The order is 7.5 mcg/kg/min for a patient who weighs 110 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 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). Count ice chips as half their volume.
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 500 mL bag runs by pump at 60 mL/h. At 07:30, 250 mL have already been infused. How many hours t until the bag is empty? Round to one decimal place.
Answer: B · 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 · To help infected fluid collect in the pelvis rather than spread upwards
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: V = 1.6 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.
Answer: R = 49.5 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: B = 500 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.
Positive: more fluid went in than came out.
Answer: t = 4.2 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 4 h 10 min, so the bag runs out at about 11:40.
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