Paediatrics Flashcards
How to do an A-E assessment in Paediatrics?
Airway
- Secretions
- Stridor
- Foreign Body
Breathing:
- Respiratory rate
- Recession/accessory muscle use
- Oxygen saturations (using pulse oximeter)
- Auscultation
Circulation:
- Colour - pale, mottled, cyanosed, DIC
- Heart rate
- Capillary refill
- Temperature of hands and feet
- Blood pressure
Disability:
- Pupils
- Limb tone and movement
- GCS/AVPU
ENT Examination
Temperature: Using tympanic thermometer
Tummy:
- Palpate
- Bowel sounds
DEFG:
- Don’t Ever Forget Glucose
What is the school exclusion criteria for these conditions:
- Scarlet Fever
- Measles
- Threadworms
- Chicken pox
- mumps
- Headlice
- conjunctivitis
- Rubella
- Diarrhoea and Vomiting
- Impetigo
- Roseola
- Scabies
- Influenza
- Slapped Cheek
- Whooping Cough
- Infectious Mononucleosis
- Hand foot and mouth
- Scarlet Fever - 24 hours after commencing Abx
- Measles - 4 days from onset of rash
- Threadworms - none
- Chicken pox - until all lesions crusted over
- mumps - 5 days from onset of swollen glands
- Headlice - none
- conjunctivitis - none
- Rubella - 5 days from onset of rash
- Diarrhoea and Vomiting - until Sx for 48 hours
- Impetigo - until all lesions crusted and healed or 48 hrs after commencing Abx
- Roseola - none
- Scabies - Until treated
- Influenza - until recovered
- Slapped Cheek - none
- Whooping Cough - until 48 hrs after commencing Abx or 14 days from onset of cough if not treated
- Infectious Mononucleosis - none
- Hand foot and mouth - none
What are the Amber features of the paediatric traffic light system for assessing serious illness?
What should be done management wise?
Colour
- Pallor reported by parent/carer
Activity
- Not responding normally to social cues
- No smile
- Wakes only with prolonged stimulation
- Decreased activity
Respiratory
- Nasal flaring
- Tachypnoea: respiratory rate
- > 50 breaths per minute, age 6 to 12 months;
- > 40 breaths per minute, age more than 12 months
- Oxygen saturation less than or equal to 95% in air
- Crackles in the chest
Circulation and Hydration
- Tachycardia:
- More than 160 beats per minute, age less than 12 months
- More than 150 beats per minute, age 12 to 24 months
- More than 140 beats per minute, age 2 to 5 years
- Capillary refill time more than or equal to 3 seconds
- Dry mucous membranes
- Poor feeding in infants
- Reduced urine output
Other
- Age 3 to 6 months, temperature more than or equal to 39°C
- Fever for more than or equal to 5 days
- Rigors
- Swelling of a limb or joint
- Non-weight bearing limb or not using an extremity
Children with Amber features but no red features should be provided with safety net information and/or referral to paediatric care for further assessment
What are the Red features of the paediatric traffic light system?
Colour
- Pale, mottled, ashen or blue
Activity
- No response to social cues
- Appears ill to a healthcare professional
- Does not wake or if roused does not stay awake
- Weak, high-pitched or continuous cry
Respiration
- Grunting
- Tachypnoea: respiratory rate more than 60 breaths per minute
- Moderate or severe chest indrawing
Circulation and Hydration
- Reduced Skin Turgor
Other
- Age less than 3 months, temperature more than or equal to 38°C
- Non-blanching rash
- Bulging fontanelle
- Neck stiffness
- Status epilepticus
- Focal neurological signs
- Focal seizures
Any red features should be referred urgently to a paediatric specialist
What are the Green features of the paediatric traffic light system?
What should be done management wise?
Colour:
- Normal Colour
Activity:
- Responds to social cues
- Content or Smiles
- Stays awake/wakes quickly
- Strong normal cry/ not crying
Respiratory: nil
Circulation and Hydration
- Normal skin and eyes
- Moist mucous membranes
Other:
- No amber or red signs or symptoms
Patients with green features only and no amber or red features can be cared for at home with advice about when to seek further attention
Why do you give children <3 months cefotaxime rather than ceftriaxone?
Ceftriaxone can displace bilirubin potentially leading to kernicterus
How do you calculate Paediatric Fluid Dose?
Done by weight:
- 1st 10kg - 100mls/kg/day
- 2nd 10Kg - 50mls/kg/day
- 3rd 10+kg - 20mls/kg/day
Therefore a child of 35kg:
1st 10kg = 1000mls
2nd 10kg = 500mls
3rd 15kg = 300mls
Total daily fluids = 1800mls (or 75mls per hour (1800/24))
Define Pneumonia?
Lower Respiratory Tract Infection/ Pneumonia is caused by infection and subsequent inflammation of the alveoli and terminal bronchioles.
This leads to an entire bronchopulmonary segment or lobe becoming consolidated, which means that tissue is filled with inflammatory cells and oedema.
What are the main different causes of Pneumonia?
Bacteria
Atypical Bacteria
Viral
Fungal
What are the main bacterial causes of Pneumonia?
Streptococcus pneumonia
Group A Strep (strep pyogenes)
Group B Strep (contracted during birth)
Staphylococcus aureus
Haemophilus influenzae
Mycoplasma
What are the main Atypical bacterial causes of Pneumonia?
Legions of Psittaci MCQ:
- Legionella pneumophilia
- Chlamydia psittaci
- Mycoplasma pneumonia
- Chlamydia pneumonia
- Coxiella burnettii (Q fever)
What are the main viral causes of pneumonia in children?
Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV)
Influenza
Parainfluenza
What are the main causes of Pneumonia in Neonates, Infants and School age children?
Neonates: Group B Strep (Streptococcus agalactia)
Infants: Strep pneumoniae
School age: Strep pneumoniae, staph aureus, mycoplasma
What is a common cause of pneumonia in closed populations such as schools?
Mycoplasma pneumonia: Has extra respiratory symptoms of:
- Erythema multiforme, erythema nodosum
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome (and rarely other neurological complications e.g. aseptic meningitis, cerebellar disease, transverse myelitis).
- Cold agglutinin production with haemolytic anaemia
- Chlamydia pneumoniae
What are the clinical symptoms of pneumonia?
- Cough (typically wet and productive)
- SOB
- High fever (> 38.5ºC)
- Increased work of breathing
- Lethargy
- Delirium (acute confusion associated with infection)
What are some clinical signs of pneumonia?
- Tachypnoea (raised respiratory rate)
- Tachycardia (raised heart rate)
- Hypoxia (low oxygen)
- Hypotension (shock)
- Fever
- Confusion
What are the characteristic chest signs of pneumonia?
Bronchial breath sounds. These are harsh breath sounds that are equally loud on inspiration and expiration. These are caused by consolidation of the lung tissue around the airway.
Reduced breath sounds
Focal coarse crackles caused by air passing through sputum similar to using a straw to blow into a drink.
Dullness to percussion due to lung tissue collapse and/or consolidation.
What are the investigations for pneumonia?
1st Line:
- Sputum culture and throat swabs
- Bloods and blood cultures
- Capillary blood gas/ABG for acidosis and lactate
Gold Standard: Chest X-Ray
What scoring system is used to assess severity of pneumonia and further management?
CURB-65:
Confusion +/-
Urea >7
Respiratory Rate >30
Blood pressure: systolic < 90 or diastolic <60
More than 65 years old
CURB-65 mortality by score
- 0 or 1 - 1.5%
- 2 - about 10%
- 3 or more - 10% or more
CURB-65 interpretation and management
Management based on score:
- 0/1: home-based care, give oral amoxicillin for 5 days (macrolide e.g. clarithromycin, doxycycline or tetracycline if penicillin allergic).
- 2: hospital-based care, 7-10 day course of dual antibiotic therapy with amoxicillin (IV or oral) and a macrolide
- 3: Hospital/ITU-based care, 7-10 day course of dual antibiotic therapy with IV co-amoxiclav/ceftriaxone/tazocin and a macrolide.
What are the different types of pneumonia?
Community Acquired: Pneumonia that develops out in the community or less that 48 hours following hospital admission
Hospital Acquired:Pneumonia that develops more than 48 hours after hospital admission.
Most common organisms are: P. Aeruginosa, S aureus, Enterobacteria
Aspiration pneumonia: Occurs in patients with an unsafe swallow. On CXR the right main bronchus is wider and more vertical so it is more likely affected
What is the management for Pneumonia in Children?
- Manage at home with Analgesia
- If Admitted: Oxygen therapy and IV fluids
Antibiotics:
- Neonates: Broad Spectrum IV Antibiotics (ampicillin/Cetriaxone)
- Infants: Amoxicillin/Co-amoxicalv
- Over 5s: Amoxicillin/Erythromycin
What is the management for CAP?
1st Line: Amoxicillin 5 days (macrolide used in pen allergy)
2nd Line: Amoxicillin +/- Macrolide (clarithromycin) 7-10 days
3rd Line IV Co-amoxiclav + Macrolide 7-10 days
What is the Management for HAP?
HAP within 5 days of admission: Co-amoxiclav or cephalosporin (e.g cefuroxime)
HAP more than 5 days after admission: Tazocin or cephalosporin (e.g. ceftazidime) or quinolone.
What are some complications of Pneumonia?
- Pleural effusion
- Parapneumonic collapse and Empyema (suspect if persistent, swinging fever with leucocytosis found after antibiotic therapy)
- Abscess (can be caused by S. pneumoniae, Klebsiella, staph aureus). Can develop pyopneumothorax.
- Pneumothorax
- Septicaemia
- Atrial fibrillation
- Post-infective bronchiectasis