Paediatrics: basic life support and Fluids Flashcards
Paediatric basic life support: basic points from algorithm
- unresponsive?
- shout for help
- open airway
- look, listen, feel for breathing
- give 5 rescue breaths
- check for signs of circulation: infants use brachial or femoral pulse, children use femoral pulse
Resuscitation: children
- 15 chest compressions: 2 rescue breaths
- chest compressions should be 100-120/min for both infants and children
- depth: depress the lower half of the sternum by at least one-third of the anterior–posterior dimension of the chest (which is approximately 4 cm for an infant and 5 cm for a child)
- in children: compress the lower half of the sternum
- in infants: use a two-thumb encircling technique for chest compression
New-borne rescuscitation
- Dry baby and maintain temperature
- Assess tone, respiratory rate, heart rate
- If gasping or not breathing give 5 inflation breaths= different from ventilation breaths, the aim is to sustain pressure to open the lungs
- Reassess (chest movements)
- If the heart rate is not improving and <60bpm start compressions and ventilation breaths at a rate of 3:1
Formula to calculate weight
(2 x age in years) + 8 in kg
Paediatric sepsis 6
- Give high flow oxygen
- Obtain IV access and take blood tests: cultures, glucose and blood gas (+lactate)
- Give IV antibiotics
- Consider fluid rescusitation
- Involve senior support early
- Consider ionotropic support early
Surgical emergencies: Mesenteric adenitis
- Vague central abdominal pain (sometimes moves)
- No signs of peritonism, may have cervical lymphadenopathy
- Mildly raised inflammatory markers (lymphocytes predominate)
- May be accompanied by viral symptoms like myalgia/headache or sore throat
Surgical emergencies: Meckel diverticulitis
- History similar to appendicitis
- Tenderness medial to McBurney’s point
- Raised inflammatory markers
- Can cause intussusception or volvulus
- Signs of peritonism may be present
Birthweight
- Average birthweight in Europe = 3.5kg
- Low birthweight = < 2.5kg
- Very low birthweight = <1.5kg
- Extremely low birthweight = <1kg
Fluid treatment ladder
- Shock (>10%)= fluid bolus 20ml/kg 0.9% saline stat
- A shocked child who is now stable/ red flags and deteriorating/ Persistently vomiting ORS via PO/NG route= IV maintenance fluids + deficit
- Clinical dehydration (5-10%)= PO maintenance fluid + deficit, give oral rehydration salts, consider BGT if vomiting
- Gastroenteritis (no signs of dehydration)= encourage usual PO intake +/- oral rehydration salts if dehydrated
Surgery: fasting
- 6 hours before surgery no solids
- 2 hours before surgery no clear liquids
Children on IV fluids need daily U&E’s
Holliday- Segar formula
How we work out maintenance fluids:
* First 10kg weight – 100ml/kg/24 hours
* Second 10kg weight – 50ml/kg/24 hours
* Any kg > 20kg weight – 20ml/kg/24 hours
* Maintenance fluid of choice – 5% dextrose with 0.9% sodium chloride (+/- potassium)
* Potassium requirement 1-2mmol/kg/24 hours
Vaccines for babies under 1 year old
- 8 weeks= 6 in 1 vaccine, Rotavirus, MenB
- 12 weeks= 6 in 1 vaccine (2nd dose), Pneumococcal (PCV), Rotavirus (2nd dose)
- 16 weeks= 6 in 1 (3rd dose), MenB (2nd dose)
Immunisation: children aged 1 to 15
- 1 year= Hib/MenC (1st dose), MMR (1st dose), Pneumococcal (PCV)-2nd dose, MenB (3rd dose)
- 2 to 10 years= Flu vaccine (every year)
- 3 years and 4 months= MMR (2nd dose), 4 in 1 pre-school booster
- 12 to 13= HPV vaccine, 2 doses 6 to 24 months apart
- 14 years= 3 in 1 teenage booster, MenACWY
Immunisation: adults
- 50 years and every year after= flu vaccine
- 65 years= Pneumococcal (PCV) vaccine
- 70 years= shingles vaccine
- Pregnant women= flu vaccine and Whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine
6 in 1 and 4 in 1 preschool booster
6 in 1 vaccine= Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis B
4 in 1 pre-school booster= Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis and Polio
Determinants of childhood growth
- Fetal (30% of adult height): uterine environment
- Infants (15% of adult hight): Nutrition, good health and happiness, thyroid hormones
- Childhood (40% of adult height): Genetics, Good health and happiness, Growth hormones, Thyroid hormones
- Pubertal (15% of adult height): testosterone and oestrogen, growth hormone
Growth charts
Height and weight (+/- head circumference) should be plotted at every clinical encounter. Important tool to compare growth of an individual to the normal population.
Faltering growth
- Pattern of slower weight gain than expected for age and sex in children, often falls across weight centiles
- Mechanisms= inadequate output, poor absorption, excessive demand, excessive output
Investigations for faltering growth in infants
- Bedside= observe feeding (infant), urine dip and culture, ECG, blood glucose
- Bloods= FBC, inflammatory markers, U&E, LFT, bone profile, TFT, blood gas
- Imaging= ECHO
- Special tests= Sweat test, Endoscopy, Home visit +/- admission
normal head growth
- Most head growth occurs in the first 2 years of life
- Anterior fontanelle close by 12-18 months
- Posterior fontanelles close by 8 weeks