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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
Why is hearing screening done in the newborn period?
ATo check whether the baby will need glasses later in childhood
BBecause hearing loss always causes balance problems
CTo diagnose ear infections before discharge
DEarly detection allows support that protects language development
2.Pediatric nursingHard
A mother says her 3-month-old broke his thigh bone by crawling off the bed. What should concern the nurse?
AThigh fractures are common in young infants with soft bones
BThe explanation does not fit the baby's stage of development
CThe fracture is too small to need treatment and will heal by itself
DBabies of this age often crawl and fall
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosingMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A bag contains 10 000 units of heparin in 250 mL. The order is 15 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.
10 000 units/250 mL15 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 8 mL/h. The patient weighs 63 kg. What dose D in mcg/kg/min is the patient receiving? Round to one decimal place.
250 mg/250 mL8 mL/h63 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 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 100 mL/h. At 11:00, 50 mL have already been infused. How many hours t until the bag is empty? Round to one decimal place.
500 mL50 mL infused100 mL/h
t = h
3Solutions
1.Pediatric nursing
Answer: D · Early detection allows support that protects language development
Why this is the answer
Permanent hearing loss is often not obvious in babies. Screening allows diagnosis and support, such as hearing aids, within the first months, which greatly improves speech and language outcomes.
Answer
D · Early detection allows support that protects language development
2.Pediatric nursing
Answer: B · The explanation does not fit the baby's stage of development
Why this is the answer
A 3-month-old cannot crawl, and femur fractures in non-mobile infants are rare without major force. A history that does not match the injury or the child's development is a key indicator of possible abuse, so safeguarding procedures are followed.
Answer
B · The explanation does not fit the baby's stage of development
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 37.1 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
15·99 = 1 485 units/h
Concentration
10 000/250 = 40 units/mL
Pump rate
R = 1485/40 = 37.13 ≈ 37.1 mL/h
Answer
R = 37.1 mL/h
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: D = 2.1 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
8·1000 = 8000 mcg/h
8000/60 = 133.3 mcg/min
Per kilogram
D = 133.3/63 = 2.116 ≈ 2.1 mcg/kg/min
Answer
D = 2.1 mcg/kg/min
5.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: B = 590 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.
Total intake
oral: 150 + 200 = 350 mL
ice chips: 100/2 = 50 mL
IV infusion: 75·12 = 900 mL
IV antibiotic: 1·100 = 100 mL
total intake = 1400 mL
Total output
150 + 375 + 175 + 110 = 810 mL
Balance
B = 1400 − 810 = 590 mL
Answer
B = 590 mL
Positive: more fluid went in than came out.
6.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: t = 4.5 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
500 − 50 = 450 mL
Time
t = 450/100 = 4.5 h
Answer
t = 4.5 h
That is about 4 h 30 min, so the bag runs out at about 15:30.