Peds/OB Class 1 Flashcards
What respiratory structures are larger in infants?
Tongue and epiglottis
What age are the other structures narrower/shorter until?
8 years old
How does the chest wall differ in an infant?
It’s compliant (sucks inward), which decreases the amount of air it can take in
Infant respiratory rate
30-53
Toddler respiratory rate
22-37
Preschooler respiratory rate
20-28
School-age respiratory rate
18-25
Adolescent respiratory rate
12-20
When do accessory muscles develop
6 years old
What is the major muscle for breathing before accessory muscles develop?
The diaphragm
How does the mucosa differ in infants and young children?
It’s more vascular, more sensitive, and more affected by foreign particles (air quality, smoking)
How does the eustachian tube differ in infants and young children?
It’s shorter and more horizontal
What are the signs of initial compensation for respiratory failure in kids?
Restlessness
Tachypnea
Tachycardia
Diaphoresis
What are the signs of early decompensation for respiratory failure in kids?
Nasal flaring Retractions Grunting Anxiety/Irritability Accessory muscle use if 6y+
What are the signs of imminent respiratory arrest in children?
Dyspnea (bradypnea or apnea) Bradycardia Cyanosis (note: late sign!) Confusion Stupor Coma
How old do you need to be for peak expiratory flow measuring to be successful?
At least 4-6y old.
At what RR does a child need to be NPO?
anything greater than 60
When do you NOT want to give Ibuprofen to a child?
If they have asthma
If they’re not well hydrated
If they have stomach upset
Put these in order from bad to worst:
Substernal retractions
Supraclavicular retractions
Intercostal retractions
Intercostal
Substernal
Supraclavicular
(middle -> down -> up)
Where will you commonly hear breath sounds in kids?
At the base of the throat
At what age does Asthma usually show up?
Age 4-5
What are the three main physiological responses to immune activation in asthma?
- Thickening/constricting of smooth muscle layer in lungs
- swelling of the mucosal layer in lungs
- hypersecretion of mucus in lungs
Classic signs/symptoms of asthma
Dyspnea, wheezing, cough, chest tightness
prolonged expiratory phase
What should parents know about the peak expiratory flow meter settings as the child ages?
It needs to be adjusted based on the height of the child (regularly!)
What condition is the most common cause of hospitalization under 1 year of age?
Bronchiolitis (RSV)
What are the signs/symptoms of bronchiolitis?
Lots and lots of mucus Irritability, less sleeping, less eating Rhonchi Wet wheezes Squeaky/poppy sounds Congested cough without much coming up
How do you care for bronchiolitis?
Supportive care
Snot management
How long will bronchiolitis last? What’s the general trajectory?
Lasts about 2 weeks
Will see improvements and exacerbations
When would someone get a vaccine for RSV?
Only if high-risk: for example, very premature babies.
What is the pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis?
It’s caused by defective chloride ion transport across cell membranes, which decreases water flow and increases salt reabsorption.
Results in thick, sticky mucous that clogs up body systems
What are the initial signs of cystic fibrosis that you might see in the hospital (newborn)?
no pooping at birth: “meconium ileus”
failure to thrive
What are the signs of cystic fibrosis that you might see in children?
frothy, foul-smelling stools
chronic URTIs and LRTIs
Salty skin, distinctive smell
Dehydration
What is the definitive test for cystic fibrosis and why doesn’t it work on newborns?
Sweat chloride test
Newborns don’t sweat
What can kids with cystic fibrosis do to improve their lung condition (and prevent exacerbations)?
Hand hygiene/diet/hydration
Regular exercise (to improve aeration)
Take pancreatic enzyme replacement with meals
take DEAK vitamins in a water-miscible form
take salt supplement if sweating a lot
Use flutter valve (positive airway pressure)
Use ThAirapy vest
Use Pulmozyme (aerosolized alfa Dornase)
Where is the most common site of a Foreign Body Obstruction?
Right side of the lungs
What color will the exudate be if the RBO is in the ears or nose?
Gray
probably foul-smelling
A child shows up in triage who is drooling, sitting in a tripod position and making a frog-like low-pitched snoring sound while breathing. His parents say this started all of a sudden and they’re sure he has a fever. What is your priority nursing action?
Don’t touch him - get help. He potentially has epiglottitis and, if so, will need an airway.
What causes epiglottitis? Can you prevent it? How is it treated?
H. Influenza
There’s a vaccine to prevent it - not common to see it now
Treated fairly quickly with antibiotics
A parent’s child needs a tracheostomy d/t epiglottitis- they’re afraid about the long-term effects. What do you tell them?
A tracheostomy won’t do long-term damage to the airway - they’ll recover fully.
What’s the common name for laryngeotracheobronchitis?
Croup
What can parents do to treat croup at home?
Bring child into cool, moist air (like the garage in winter), or into the shower if cool air isn’t an option.
Prop her upright
It will last for a few days and be worse at night
Mom is calling an advice line, says her daughter has a seal bark cough and is breathing really fast. What do you tell her?
to bring her in (assuming RR over 60) and don’t give her anything to eat or drink
A parent says their child has had a cold for a few days, but suddenly got a fever, is vomiting and seems wheezy and pretty tired. What do you suspect?
Pneumonia
A parent of a child with pneumonia wants to give them cough suppressant because it’s keeping them up at night. What do you tell them?
Cough suppressant isn’t recommended because we want them to get that mucous out of their lungs.
The parent of a toddler has been told her child has nasopharyngitis. She asks if she should take antibiotics. What do you tell her?
Nasopharyngitis is a fancy name for the common cold. It’s caused by a virus and antibiotics are likely to do more harm (by killing off microbiome) than good - they won’t get rid of the virus. It will go away on it’s own in 4-10 days.
The mom of an 18-month old with a cold asks if she can give her child benadryl or sudafed - what do you tell her?
No antihistamines for kids under 6
No decongestants for kids under 2
At what age can a parent give their child tylenol?
6 months
You look inside a child’s mouth and see swollen tonsils and a uvula that’s off to one side. What’s probably causing the offset uvula?
An abscess near the tonsils
If strep throat isn’t treated, it can lead to…
…rheumatic fever or streptococcal glomerulonephritis
A child is going home after a tonsillectomy. You know there’s a bleeding risk after surgery. What should you tell her to watch for?
Watch child while sleeping to see if she’s swallowing
…or vomit that looks like coffee grounds
A child is going home after a tonsillectomy. How often can her parents give her tylenol?
Every 4 hours.
A dad brings a child in to the clinic: says she hasn’t been eating much, her breath smells off, and her voice sounds a little funny and muffled. She’s developed a cough in the last day or two. Her nose hasn’t been runny and her cough sounds dry. What do you suspect?
Tonsilitis
Most common burn injury under four years old?
Scald injuries