AEMT Pediatric and Geriatric Emergencies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In pediatric cardiac arrest, the MOST common initial rhythm is:
- Ventricular fibrillation
- Pulseless ventricular tachycardia
- Asystole or pulseless electrical activity (PEA) (Correct answer)
- Complete heart block
Correct answer: Asystole or pulseless electrical activity (PEA)
Unlike adults, pediatric cardiac arrest usually results from respiratory failure leading to asystole or PEA, not primary arrhythmia.
Question 2: The epinephrine dose for pediatric cardiac arrest is:
- 0.1 mg/kg of 1:1,000 IV/IO
- 0.01 mg/kg of 1:10,000 IV/IO (Correct answer)
- 1 mg flat dose regardless of weight
- 0.1 mg/kg of 1:10,000 IM
Correct answer: 0.01 mg/kg of 1:10,000 IV/IO
Pediatric epinephrine for cardiac arrest is 0.01 mg/kg of 1:10,000 solution IV/IO, repeated every 3–5 minutes.
Question 3: An elderly patient presents with confusion, fever of 101.8°F, and urinary symptoms. You should suspect:
- Ischemic stroke
- Urinary tract infection (UTI) — a common cause of altered mental status in the elderly (Correct answer)
- Myocardial infarction
- Hyperthyroid storm
Correct answer: Urinary tract infection (UTI) — a common cause of altered mental status in the elderly
UTIs frequently cause acute confusional states in geriatric patients because the aging brain is more vulnerable to systemic infection and inflammation.
Question 4: Which of the following physiologic changes in the elderly increases the risk of drug toxicity?
- Increased hepatic enzyme activity
- Decreased renal clearance and reduced hepatic metabolism (Correct answer)
- Increased lean muscle mass
- Enhanced gastric absorption of oral medications
Correct answer: Decreased renal clearance and reduced hepatic metabolism
Aging reduces both kidney clearance and liver metabolism, causing drugs to accumulate to toxic levels more readily in elderly patients.
Question 5: A 7-year-old child (22 kg) needs defibrillation. What is the correct initial energy dose?
- 50 J
- 88 J (2 J/kg) (Correct answer)
- 200 J
- 360 J
Correct answer: 88 J (2 J/kg)
Pediatric defibrillation starts at 2 J/kg; for a 22 kg child that is 44 J, and subsequent shocks can be increased to 4 J/kg.
Question 6: When assessing pain in a 3-year-old child who cannot verbalize, you should use:
- Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
- Numeric Rating Scale (0–10)
- FLACC scale (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability) (Correct answer)
- Wong-Baker FACES scale only
Correct answer: FLACC scale (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability)
The FLACC scale is validated for preverbal and non-verbal children up to 7 years old, using behavioral cues rather than self-report.
AEMT Pediatric and Geriatric Emergencies 2
In pediatric cardiac arrest, the MOST common initial rhythm is: