Peds - Exam 1 - Concepts Flashcards
Communication by age
Infancy:
- Non-verbal, crying (caregiver best to interpret cries)
Early childhood
- Focus on child when communicating - explain what, how, why
- Use words child will recognize
- Be consistent with emotions (don’t smile while giving a shot)
School-age children
- They will want to know why and ask for explanations
- Concerned about their body integrity and need reassurance
Adolescents
- Be honest with them and aware of their privacy needs
- Very self-conscious - need to know something is normal
- Peers are very important to them
- Realize illness may cause regression
- Give undivided attention and be open-minded
Growth measurements - physical exam
- Recumbent length for infants up to 36 mos + weight and head circumference
- Standing height + weight after 37 mos
- Plot on growth chart - Less than 5th or greater than 95th percentile considered outside expected parameters
Clinical manifestations of food hypersensitivity
Systemic - anaphylactic, growth failure
GI - abdominal pain, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea
Respiratory - cough, wheezing, rhinitis, infiltrates
Cutaneous - urticaria, rash, atopic dermatitis (eczema)
Most common food allergens
Eggs
Cow’s milk
Peanuts
(Should be introduced after 1 years)
Vitals order for children
- Count respirations
- Count apical heart rate
- Measure blood pressure
- Measure temperature
Feeding difficulties
Regurgitation and spitting up is normal - except if persistent, large quantities, issues with weight
- If so, look into work up with GERD (actual diagnosis of reflux disease)
Colic:
- Loud crying, infant will pull legs up to abdomen
- Most common in infants < 3 mos
- Typically resolves 12-16 weeks
- Usually happens in evenings
Education for colic
- Swaddling
- Using pacifier after feedings
- Massaging abdomen
- Smaller, more frequent feedings
- Using a swing
- Don’t change formula too quickly - some degree of colic is normal
- It’s okay to take turns, walk away (prevent shaken baby syndrome)
- Breastfed - try having mom take dairy out of diet
Diaper dermatitis
Prolonged contact with irritant - usually urine or feces
(But soaps, detergents, wipes can cause as well)
Classic - skin folds are spared - no redness or irritation
Candida/yeast - WILL see extending into skin folds, well-demarcated borders, satellite lesions
Treatment:
avoid wetness - change diaper frequently, use barrier cream (zinc oxide or aquaphor)
Keep open to air when possible - time with diaper off if possible
Candida - antifungal (Nystatin front line)
Barrier cream - wipe some of cream (but not all) during diaper change, then add little more
Candida - antifungal first then barrier cream on top of it
Nonorganic FTT
- No known cause
Management:
- Consistent nurse caring for patient
- A lot of parent education
- Decreasing stimulation during feeds
- Persistence
- Positive feeding environment
- Established routine
Children with nonorganic FTT:
- May have trouble with behavioral interactions
- May be more interested in toy than personal interaction
- May not want to be held
Seborrheic Dermatitis
Chronic, recurrent, inflammatory reaction of the skin
Cause unknown - very common in infants
Scalp - cradle cap
Eyelids - blepharitis
External ear - otitis externa
Cradle cap - nursing considerations
- Olive oil or coconut oil on scalp - let it sit before shampooing
- Shampoo it daily
- Fine-toothed comb or soft brush to help brush afterwards to LIGHTLY remove scales (don’t be aggressive)
Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
- Category of dermatologic diseases and not a specific etiology
- Pruritic (itchy)
- Usually associated with allergy, asthma, seasonal allergies
- Hereditary tendency
- Common to see on face in infants
Therapeutic management - atopic dermatitis
Really good skin care:
- Take warm baths (not hot)
- Uses gentle soaps (like Aveeno)
- Older children - Dove sensitive skin BAR SOAP (less additives than liquids)
- After bath, PAT child dry, not wipe
- Immediately after, apply emmolient (Aquaphor or euceryn cream)
- Relieve itching - benadryl @ night to avoid night-time scratching, cool compresses
- Teach them to prevent secondary infections: don’t itch it; too young to understand that - put mitts on, keeping nails short and filing to avoid sharp edges
- Can use topical steroids if bad case or primary interventions didn’t work well
- Periods of remissions and flares - winter it’s dry, common to see flare
SIDS
Sudden death of infant less than 1 year old that remains unexplained after autopsy
Risk factors:
- Low birth weight
- Low apgar scores
- Recent viral illnesses
- Siblings of two or more SIDS victims
- Male sex
- Infants of Native American or African-American ethnicity
- Back to Sleep Campaign - push to lay infants on their backs not prone (reduced rate of SIDS by 53% in US)
Practices that reduce risk of SIDS
- Avoid smoking during pregnancy and near infant
- Breast feeding
- Supine sleeping position (BACK)
- Avoid soft moldable mattresses, blankets, and pillows
- Avoid bed sharing
- Avoid overheating during sleep
- Vary infant head position to prevent plagiocephaly (the same spot of head pressure)