EMT Chapter 34: Pediatric Emergencies

In a normal adult, greater than 30% to 40% of blood volume loss significantly increases the risk of shock. What is the threshold of blood volume loss in children?

25% and greater

Febrile seizures are MOST common in children between the ages of:

6 months and 6 years. Febrile seizures are MOST common in children between the ages of:

Which of the following statements regarding a 3-month-old infant is correct?

A 3-month-old infant can distinguish a parent from a stranger.

A 5-year-old child has had severe vomiting and diarrhea for 4 days. Which of the following assessment findings would be the MOST indicative of decompensated shock? Select one:

B. Blood pressure of 70/40 mm Hg

An 8-year-old female with a history of asthma continues to experience severe respiratory distress despite being given multiple doses of her prescribed albuterol by her mother. She is conscious but clearly restless. Her heart rate is 130 beats/min and her respiratory rate is 30 breaths/min. She is receiving high-flow oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask. You should:

Be prepared to assist her ventilations, transport at once, and request an ALS intercept en route to the hospital.

What does respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cause

Bronchiolitis is a specific viral illness of newborns and toddlers, often caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that causes inflammation of the bronchioles.

Common causes of seizures in children include all of the following, EXCEPT: Select one: A. infection. B. poisonings or ingestion. C. hyperglycemia. D. electrolyte imbalances.

C. hyperglycemia.

Which of the following statements regarding a pediatric patient's anatomy is correct?

Children have a larger, rounder occiput compared to adults

Which of the following findings is LEAST suggestive of child abuse? Select one:

Consistency in the method of injury reported by the caregiver

Which of the following statements regarding sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is correct? Select one

Death as a result of SIDS can occur at any time of the day or night.

What should you use the Wong- Baker Faces scale to determine?

Pain Level in a child

With which age group should you talk to the child, not just the parent, while taking the medical history?

School-age children (6-12 years) begin to act more like adults. Including them in the history-taking conversation helps build trust.

When assessing an 8-year-old child, you should: Select one:

Talk to the child, not just the caregiver

What does PAT assess?

The Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) assesses appearance, work of breathing, and circulation.

Which of the following statements regarding preschool-age children is correct?

They can usually identify painful areas when questioned

When questioning the parent of a child who ingested a poisonous substance, which of the following questions would be of LEAST pertinence initially? Select one:

Why did your child ingest the poison?

An infant with severe dehydration would be expected to present with: Select one:

absent urine output.

You are dispatched to a residence for a child with respiratory distress. The patient, an 18-month-old female, is tachypneic, has sternal retractions, and is clinging to her mother. Her skin is pink and dry, and her heart rate is 120 beats/min. The MOST appropriate treatment for this child includes: Select one

administering blow-by oxygen and transporting the child with her mother.

When a child is struck by a car, the area of greatest injury depends MOSTLY on the: Select one:

age of the child and the size of the car that struck him or her.

Submersion injuries in the adolescent age group are MOST commonly associated with:

alcohol

The purpose of the pediatric assessment triangle (PAT) is to: Select one:

allow you to rapidly and visually form a general impression of the child.

Signs of a severe airway obstruction in an infant or child include:

an ineffective cough.

You respond to a skate park where a 10-year-old male fell from his skateboard and struck his head on the ground; he was not wearing a helmet. He is responsive to painful stimuli only and has a large hematoma on the back of his head. After your partner stabilizes his head and opens his airway, you assess his breathing and determine that it is slow and irregular. His pulse is slow and bounding. You should:

assist his ventilations, be prepared to suction his mouth if he vomits, apply full spinal precautions, and prepare for immediate transport to a trauma center.

Unless he or she is critically ill or injured, you should generally begin your assessment of a toddler:

at the feet.

Which of the following is the LEAST reliable assessment parameter to evaluate when determining the presence of shock in infants and children?

blood pressure

Pale skin in a child indicates that the: Select one:

blood vessels near the skin are constricted.

A 2-year-old female has experienced a seizure. When you arrive at the scene, the child is conscious, crying, and clinging to her mother. Her skin is hot and moist. The mother tells you that the seizure lasted approximately 5 minutes. She further tells you that her daughter has no history of seizures, but has had a recent ear infection. You should: Select one:

cool the child with tepid water and transport to the hospital.

A viral infection that may cause obstruction of the upper airway in a child is called: Select one

croup

Infection should be considered a possible cause of an airway obstruction in an infant or child, especially if he or she presents with: Select one:

drooling or congestion.

Burns in children are commonly caused by all of the following, EXCEPT: Select one:

entrapment in a structural fire.

When caring for a female child who has possibly been sexually abused, you should: Select one:

have a female EMT remain with her if possible.

When a child experiences a blunt injury to the abdomen:

he or she can compensate for blood loss better than adults, without signs of shock developing.

Which of the following is TRUE about a child's breathing?

less air is exchanged with each breath, detection of poor air movement or complete absence of breath sounds in a child can be difficult.

The secondary assessment of a sick or injured child:

may not be possible if the child's condition is critical

You are assessing a 6 year old boy who has a fever of 102 and who is showing signs of an altered LOC. He is complaining of pain when he tries to turn his head. What should you expect?

meningitis. (a fever and pain in the neck are signs of meningitis)

A 4-year-old, 16-kg female ingested an unknown quantity of liquid drain cleaner. Your assessment reveals that she is conscious and alert, is breathing adequately, and has skin burns around her mouth. You should:

monitor her airway and give oxygen

The first month of life after birth is referred to as the: Select one:

neonatal period.

While triaging patients at the scene of a motor-vehicle crash, you encounter a 5-year-old child who is unresponsive and apneic. After positioning his airway, you should: Select one:

palpate for a carotid pulse.

Severe burns in children include:

partial-thickness burns covering more than 20% of the body surface.

After using the pediatric assessment triangle (PAT) to form your general impression of a sick or injured child, you should:

perform a hands-on assessment of the ABCs

To ensure that the airway of an infant or small child is correctly positioned, you may have to:

place a towel or folded sheet behind the shoulders

Compared to adults, the liver and spleen of pediatric patients are more prone to injury and bleeding because they are:

proportionately larger and situated more anteriorly.

EMTs are assessing a 2-year-old child who was riding in a car seat when the vehicle struck a tree while traveling at 45 MPH. The child is conscious and appears alert. There are no obvious signs of trauma to the child, and the car seat does not appear to be damaged. The EMTs should:

remove the child from the car seat and secure him to a pediatric immobilization device.

Cardiac arrest in the pediatric population is MOST commonly the result of:

respiratory or circulatory failure.

If a pediatric patient begins seizing again during your care, which of the following would be your treatment priority?

securing and clearing the airway

Signs and symptoms of meningitis in the infant or child include all of the following, EXCEPT: Select one:

sunken fontanelles.

When assessing or treating an adolescent patient, it is important to remember that:

they usually do not wish to be observed during a procedure

The MOST efficient way to identify the appropriately sized equipment for a pediatric patient is to:

use a length-based resuscitation tape measure.

You are using JumpSTART in a triage situation involving several children. How would you rate a patient who is breathing spontaneously, has a peripheral pulse, and is appropriately unresponsive to painful stimuli?

yellow tag. Treatment and transport can be delayed.(p.1268)

You are responding to a 9-1-1 call where the mother reported finding her 3-month-old daughter cyanotic and unresponsive in her crib. When you stimulate the child, she responds. This is an example of what condition?

Apparent life threatening event (near miss SIDS- sudden, infant, death, syndrome)