EMS EMS Pediatric & Neonatal Emergencies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 3-year-old presents with a barking cough, stridor, and low-grade fever. What condition should the EMT suspect?
- Epiglottitis
- Croup (laryngotracheobronchitis) (Correct answer)
- Bronchiolitis
- Asthma
Correct answer: Croup (laryngotracheobronchitis)
Croup presents with a characteristic seal-like barking cough, inspiratory stridor, and low-grade fever in children aged 6 months to 3 years.
Question 2: Which pediatric condition is characterized by drooling, high fever, and refusal to speak in a tripod position?
- Croup
- Bronchiolitis
- Epiglottitis (Correct answer)
- Foreign body airway obstruction
Correct answer: Epiglottitis
Epiglottitis presents with high fever, drooling, muffled voice, and the tripod (sniffing) position as the child tries to maintain an open airway.
Question 3: Using the Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT), what three components are evaluated?
- Airway, Breathing, Circulation
- Appearance, Work of Breathing, Circulation to Skin (Correct answer)
- Level of Consciousness, Respirations, Pulse
- Skin Color, Temperature, Moisture
Correct answer: Appearance, Work of Breathing, Circulation to Skin
The PAT evaluates Appearance (tone, interactivity, cry), Work of Breathing (retractions, sounds), and Circulation to the Skin (pallor, mottling, cyanosis).
Question 4: What is the maximum acceptable dose of epinephrine (1:10,000) for pediatric cardiac arrest via IV/IO?
- 0.01 mg/kg (Correct answer)
- 0.1 mg/kg
- 0.001 mg/kg
- 1 mg regardless of weight
Correct answer: 0.01 mg/kg
Pediatric epinephrine for cardiac arrest is dosed at 0.01 mg/kg (1:10,000 concentration) IV/IO every 3–5 minutes.
Question 5: A 2-year-old is found unresponsive with irregular breathing. What does the AVPU scale 'P' response indicate?
- Patient is alert and oriented
- Patient responds to painful stimuli only (Correct answer)
- Patient responds to verbal stimuli
- Patient is completely unresponsive
Correct answer: Patient responds to painful stimuli only
On the AVPU scale, 'P' indicates the patient responds only to painful stimuli, representing a significantly altered level of consciousness.
Question 6: Which tool is used by EMS to estimate pediatric weight when a scale is unavailable?
- Glasgow Coma Scale
- Broselow Tape (Correct answer)
- APGAR Score
- Pediatric Trauma Score
Correct answer: Broselow Tape
The Broselow Tape estimates a child's weight based on body length and provides drug dosing and equipment sizing guidance.
EMS EMS Pediatric & Neonatal Emergencies 2
A 3-year-old presents with a barking cough, stridor, and low-grade fever.
What condition should the EMT suspect?