Pediatric Congenital & Acquired Cardiac Disorders

Question 1

If you were to be inspecting a pt that has a cardiac disorder, what would you inspect differently on this pt than a pt with normal cardiac function?

Answer 1

you would look at nutritional state, color, chest deformities, unusual pulsations, respiratory excursion, clubbing

Question 2

What are 3 diagnostic tests that should be done to assess cardiac function?

Answer 2

ECG/EKG, Echo, Cardiac Catheterization

Question 3

What are some possible complications of a cardiac catheterization that the pt should be aware of before the procedure?

Answer 3

acute hemorrhage, loss of pulse due to vascular injury, transient dysrhythmias

Question 4

What are the most serious issues that can occur during a cardiac catheterization?

Answer 4

valve damage, perforation of heart, CNS injury, stroke, death

Question 5

If a pt has just come out of a cardiac catheter procedure, how often should you be assessing the vitals of the pt?

Answer 5

every 15 minutes

Question 6

A pt has just gotten out of a cardiac catheter procedure, the parent is asking you if the child can ambulate now, so that the child can heal faster, because she heard that ambulation helps speed up recovery. How would you educate this patient?

Answer 6

After this procedure, there are orders for the pt to lay flat for a certain amount of time while he or she is being monitored, but these orders are not for multiple days, so the child can being ambulation once approved by the physician

Question 7

How often are children born with congenital heart defects?

Answer 7

1 in 110 live births will have a congenital heart defect

Question 8

Of those born with congenital heart defects, how many are critical enough that they will require treatment during their first year of life?

Answer 8

25%

Question 9

If a parent has been told that his/her child has Trisomy 21, 13, 18, DiGeorge syndrome, Noonan syndrome, Williams syndrome, Hold-Oram syndrome, TE fistula, renal abnormalities, or a diaphragmatic hernia, what is something important to educate the parents about?

Answer 9

There is a high chance that the child will also have a congenital heart defect

Question 10

A pt comes in presenting with poor feeding, tachypnea, tachycardia, diaphoresis, crackles in the lungs, hepatomegaly, cyanosis, a murmur, and a sternal lift, what is the most likely cause of these issues?

Answer 10

Congenital heart disease

Question 11

What are the 4 classifications for congenital heart defects?

Answer 11

Increased pulmonary blood flow, decreased pulmonary blood flow, Obstruction to blood flow, and mixed blood flow

Question 12

If a pt has an increased blood volume on the right side of the heart, what is most likely the cause of this?

Answer 12

Abnormal connection between the two sides of the heart (usually an increased pulmonary blood flow congenital heart defect)

Question 13

If a pt has an increased pulmonary blood flow congenital heart defect, where is blood increased in the body and where is blood decreased?

Answer 13

increased pulmonary blood flow, decreased systemic blood flow

Question 14

A child is brought into the hospital and is presenting with tachypnea, poor feeding, poor weight gain, and failure to thrive. What is this normally associated with?

Answer 14

Increased pulmonary blood flow congenital heart defects

Question 15

Examples of increased pulmonary blood flow congenital heart defects

Answer 15

VSD, ASD, PDA

Question 16

What is important to educate a patient about if she or he is getting IVIG treatment?

Answer 16

Live immunizations will not work correctly for 11 months, so they should be deferred