Bradycardia With a Pulse Flashcards
7 cards from real PALS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Bradycardia With a Pulse flashcards as text
A 9-year-old athlete has a resting heart rate of 48 bpm with no symptoms and normal BP. What is the most appropriate management?
Answer: Observation — this is likely physiologic bradycardia
Well-trained athletes commonly have sinus bradycardia at rest due to high vagal tone; without symptoms or hemodynamic compromise, no intervention is needed.
Which of the following signs indicates that bradycardia is causing hemodynamic compromise in a pediatric patient?
Answer: Mottled skin, hypotension, and decreased consciousness
Mottling, hypotension, and altered mental status are clinical signs of poor perfusion indicating hemodynamically significant bradycardia.
A 2-year-old ingested an unknown medication and presents with bradycardia, miosis, excessive secretions, and bronchospasm. Which antidote is indicated?
Answer: Atropine
This is a classic cholinergic toxidrome (organophosphate or carbamate poisoning); atropine reverses muscarinic effects including bradycardia.
In the PALS bradycardia algorithm, what is the correct sequence after identifying bradycardia with a pulse AND cardiopulmonary compromise?
Answer: Airway/Oxygenation → Drugs → CPR if unresponsive → Pacing
PALS bradycardia sequence is: support airway and oxygenation first, then drugs (atropine/epinephrine), then CPR if needed, then consider pacing.
A 12-year-old presents with bradycardia following a head injury with increased intracranial pressure. Which triad of findings should be recognized?
Answer: Bradycardia, hypertension, and irregular respirations (Cushing's triad)
Cushing's triad (bradycardia, hypertension, irregular respirations) signals severely elevated ICP and impending herniation.
How does hypoxia cause bradycardia in infants, and why does this differ from adults?
Answer: Infants respond to hypoxia with vagal stimulation causing bradycardia, unlike adults who initially tachycardia
Infants primarily respond to hypoxia with vagally mediated bradycardia, making hypoxia a leading cause of pediatric bradycardia that must be corrected first.
When using the IO route for epinephrine in a bradycardic child, what should immediately follow drug administration?
Answer: Flush with 5–10 mL of normal saline to ensure delivery into circulation
All IO medications must be flushed with normal saline (5–10 mL) to clear the bone marrow cavity and deliver the drug into systemic circulation.