Class three Flashcards
What should be assessed first? Why?
Heart first
As the exam goes, they fuss which leads to an increase in the HR
Where do you listen for heart rate on a child? How long do you listen to each site for?
Apical pulse for 1 minute
Upper left sternal border
Right sternal border (listen long enough to hear any irregular sounds)
Why are murmurs common in children?
Children have a really high HR so they have turbulent blood flow –> benign murmur
What should be assessed second? How long should you listen and why?
Respirations
Listen for one minute because their respirations are fast and irregular so you need to listen for a full minute to get an accurate count
What are two skin colors that are not concerning
Mottling: bad at auto regulation especially temperature
Acrocyansosis: warm and cyanotic/purple feet and hands d/t poor regulation of vascular stability
What skin coloring is concerning?
Cicroralcyanosis
Around the mouth
What else can you look for while just looking at the patient?
Assess for color
Neuro: sleeping, awake, arousable, reflexes
S/S of distress: pain?
General growth: malnourished, dehydrated, proportionate
What should you check third? Where and why?
Pulses
Femoral (diaper line) or brachial (inside of inner arm)
Cant use radial/pedal because vasculature is not well developed so weak
What are fontanelles and suture lines? What is the purpose for them?
Spot spots and openings in the cranium
Squish for delivery and allow for brain growth
When do fontanelles and sutures close? What do you measure to check these and for how long do you measure them?
Anterior: closes at 9-18 months
Posterior: 2 month
Sutures: 18-24 months
Measure head circumference until 2 years
How do you do an assessment on a pediatric patient?
Quiet/least invasive parts of the exam first
What will be examined last in a pediatric assessment and why?
Head
Most invasive so should be last
What is the doorway assessment?
Things that you can look at by just looking at the patient
What are some general appearance things to look at?
Overall health and age
Activity/behavior
Development
Nourishment
Statue
Head to toe
Growth charts
What can you learn form just a cry?
Respiratory status
Cardiac
Neuro/development
Emotional status
Communication
What does a cry tell you about respiratory status?
Patent airway
Stridor, wheezing, absent could mean obstruction
What does crying tell you about cardiac?
Cyanotic with crying
What does crying tell you about neuro/development?
High pitched: underlying neuro symptoms
What does crying tell you about communication?
Pain
Afraid
Stranger anxiety
How does a cry tell you how sick the patient is?
How they are reacting to painful things - should cry with pain
What are some differences in pediatric assessment data?
Higher baseline metabolic needs
Poor auto regulation
Primitive reflexes
Soft spots
Disproportionate head: body
Disproportionate facial features
What is poorly regulated in pediatrics?
RR and HR
Higher water content
Increased insensible water losses
What is the concern about having a higher water content?
Increase risk of fluid and electrolyte shifts –> electrolyte imbalances
What is the concern about poor auto regulation r/t HR?
children decompensated quickly so when HR is not longer sustained –> cardiopulmonary arrest
What is the difference between sensible and insensible water loss?
Sensible: can be seen like sweating, urine, vomit, bleeding, diarrhea
Insensible: can’t be seen like normal respirations, evaporation from skin, fever (infants have increase RR and skin doesn’t have a lot of fat to hold water)
What is PEWS and what is the purpose of it?
Tool created by clinical staff to support clinical judgment and give nurses power and objective data to decrease pediatric codes
Help to detect early decompensation, improves response time/early intervention, improves team communication, and improves outcomes
How early does PEWS detect prior to cardiac arrest?
12-24 hours before
What 3 domains are assess in the PEWS score?
Behavior
Respiratory
Cardiovascular
A PEWS score above what requires action?
score above 2
What is a a good PEWS score?
0-2
What should occur with a PEWS score of 0-1?
Continue monitoring and document as usual
What should occur with a PEWS score of 2?
Continue monitoring and document as usual
Review patient with more experience healthcare provider
Escalate if deemed further consolation required OR resources do not allow to meet care needs
What should occur for a PEWS score of 3?
Moved to yellow
Review patient with more experience healthcare provider
Escalate if deemed further consolation required OR resources do not allow to meet care needs
Increase frequency of assessments and document per plan form consult with more experienced care provider
What should occur for a PEWS score of 4?
Review patient with more experience healthcare provider
Escalate if deemed further consolation required OR resources do not allow to meet care needs
Notify most responsible physician (MRP) or delegate
MRP or delegate communicate plan of care to mitigate contributing factors of deterioration
Increase assessment frequency and document
Reassess adequacy of resources available and escalate to meet deficits
Consider internal or external transfer to higher level of care
What should occur for a PEWS score of 5?
Review patient with more experience healthcare provider
Escalate if deemed further consolation required OR resources do not allow to meet care needs
Notify most responsible physician (MRP) or delegate
MRP or delegate
MRP assess patient immediately and if can’t attend call STAT for physician review per MRP’s direction
Appropriate “sensor” review
MRP or delegate communicate plan of care to mitigate contributing factors of deterioration
Increase assessment frequency and document
Increase nursing to 1:1
Reassess care location to higher level of care
What is a change in neuro status consistent with?
End organ damage
Neuro decompensation can tell us the effects off loss of circulation to other parts of the body like kidneys
How do you assess orientation in children? Infants?
Responsive?
Ask who mom and dad is if they are in the room
Ask parents if child has had an changes in their baseline behavior like losing milestones
Infant: sternal rub/foot flick
What are the interaction that are included in behavior parameters?
Restless
Irritable
What is the activity included in the behavior parameters?
Sleeping
Playing
What are behaviors parameters that are assessed in PEWS?
Orientation
Interactions/behavior
Activity
What are the cardiac perfusion parameters for PEWS?
Pulse
Cap refill
Color and temp (central and peripheral)