EMR Chapter 17: Pediatric Emergencies

Which of the following general statement regarding care of the pediatric patient is false?

Frightened children are usually able to communicate the problem to you clearly

Parents are usually very concerned about the health of their child, especially if:

they do not clearly understand the situation

If a child's injury or illness permits, it is a good idea to:

allow the child to sit on his or her parent's lap

When communication with a sick child, you should:

kneel down at the child's level and establish eye contact

In relation to the rest of the child's body, the:

tongue is relatively larger.

When opening a small child's airway, it is important to:

avoid hyperextension

For at least the first 6 months of their lives, infants:

can breath only through their nose

Because infants and children have greater body surface area relative to the mass of their body:

they lose heat more quickly then adults do

The purpose of the pediatric assessment triangle (PAT) is to:

form a quick impression using sight and hearing

What are the components of the PAT?

appearance, work of breathing, and skin circulation

When assessing a child's general appearance, you should:

compare it to what you would expect from a healthy child of the same age

All of the following are obvious indicators of a sick child, except:

a strong cry

Common observations when assessing an infant's work of breathing include all of the following, except:

regularity of breathing

Nasal flaring, if present, usually occurs:

during inspiration

Which of the following skin signs is least indicative of decreased circulation or low levels of oxygen in the blood?

Flushing

A patchy skin discoloration is called:

Mottling

Counting a child's respirations for less than 30 seconds can cause inaccurate results because:

children often breathe irregularly

A child who is in the tripod position is:

supporting himself or herself with the arms while leaning forward.

When assessing the pulse rate of child younger than 1 year, you should:

feel the brachial pulse

A healthy newborn's resting respiratory rate should not exceed:

60 breaths/min.

As a child's body temperature rises:

his or hers heart rate increases

circulatory failure and cardiac arrest in children is most often the result of:

respiratory failure 1

Specific cause of cardiopulmonary arrest in children include all of the following, except:

emphysema

When opening a child's airway with the head tilt-chin lift maneuver, you should:

pad under the child's shoulders as needed

If you are unable to open a child's airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver, you should:

use the head tilt-chin lift maneuver

For the purpose of preforming cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a child is defined as:

1 year of age to the onset of puberty

If you are alone with a child in cardiac arrest, you should:

preform 2 minutes of CPR and then call EMS

When preforming chest compression on a child, you should:

use the heel of one or two hands

CPR for a 6-month-old differs from that for a 20-year-old in that:

mouth-to-mouth-and-nose ventilation are preformed.

Upon entering the residence of a 10-month-old boy, the mother tells you that her son would not wake up from his nap. After determining that the infant is unresponsive, you should:

simultaneously check for breathing and a brachial pulse

Initial care for an infant or child with secretions or vomitus in his or her mouth involves:

turning the patient onto his or her side

When suctioning an infant or child's airway, you should:

use a rigid catheter to suction the mouth

When inserting an oral airway adjunct in a child, you should:

depress the tongue before inserting the airway

Most partial (mild) airway obstructions in children that are not caused by a foreign body can be corrected by:

preforming the head tilt-chin lift maneuver

After playing with a small toy, a 4-year-old boy experienced a sudden onset of difficulty breathing. The child is conscious and clearly frightened. His skin is pink and warm and he is moving adequate air. You should:

monitor the child's condition and arrange for transport

Sign of a severe (complete) airway obstruction in a child include all of the following, except:

difficulty speaking

Appropriate treatment for a 7-year-old conscious child with a severe (complete) airway obstruction involves:

abdominal thrusts

If you are suspect that an infant has an airway obstruction, you should first:

determine if there is any air exchange

Back slaps and chest thrusts are performed on:

conscious infants with a severe airway obstruction.

Which of the following statements regarding CPR on an unresponsive infant with a severe airway onstriction is correct?

It has to same effect as administering chest thrust on a responsive infant

Signs of respiratory distress in a pediatric patient include:

a breathing rate of more that 60 breaths/min in infants

A high pitched upper airway sound heard during inspiration is called:

stridor

A breathing rate of fever than 20 breaths/min in an infant or fewer than 10 breaths/min in a child indicates:

respiratory failure

A child with a heart rate less than 60 beats/min should receive chest compression and rescue breathing if he or she:

is unresponsive and cyanotic

Common medical emergencies in the pediatric population include all of the following, except:

angina

Which of the following statements regarding an altered mental status in children is correct?

in many cases, you will not be able to determine the underlying cause and must treat the signs and symptoms

Even a minor cold can cause breathing difficulty in an infant because:

infant breath primarily through their noses

Which of the following statements regarding pediatric asthma is false?

Asthma is common in patients younger than 1 year

You are caring for a 12-year-old girl who experienced a sudden onset of respiratory distress after playing with her neighbor's cat. The child's mother is present and tells you that her daughter has asthma. During your assessment, you can hear wheezing on exhalation without a stethoscope. The child is conscious, though obviously frightened. You should:

calm and reassure the child, place her in a comfortable position, administer oxygen if it is available, and ask the mother if the child takes any medications

Croup is an infection of the upper airway that occurs mainly in children between the ages of:

6 months and 6 years

A classic sign of croup is:

a barking cough

You are dispatched to a residence for a child with breathing difficulty. It is 11:30 PM and the temperature is 30°F (-1°C). When you arrive at the scene, you fins the child, a recent runny nose and low-grade fever, her son is healthy. You not that the child has a high-pitched cough and noisy breathing. You should:

suspect that the child is suffering from epiglottitis, carefully examine his throat, and give him oxygen.

If you suspect that a child has epiglottitis, it is most important to:

avoid examining the child's throat

A 6-year-old girl presents with severe respiratory distress, a high fever, and difficulty swallowing. Further assessment reveals that the child is drooling and is breathing with her chin thrust forward. You should suspect:

epiglottitis

Treatment for a child involved in a drowning incident may include all of the following, except:

abdominal thrusts to force water out of the stomach

Any child involved in a submersion incident should be evaluated by a physician because:

respiratory problems can develop several hours after submersion

When treating a child with a suspected heatstroke, it is important to:

not allow the child to become chilled

Which of the following statements regarding children and high fever is correct?

High fever can develop quickly from even minor infection

You are dispatched to the home of a young boy with a high fever. The child's mother tells you that the fever started about 12 hours ago, and that she called 9-1-1 because she was afraid her son would have a seizure. She tells you that she took his temperature shortly before your arrival, and it was 104°F (40°C). Treatment for the child should include:

removing unnecessary clothing, fanning the child to cool him down, being alert for a seizure, and arranging for EMS transport