AEMT Pediatric and Geriatric Emergencies 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) evaluates three components. Which of the following correctly lists them?
- Pulse, temperature, glucose
- Appearance, work of breathing, circulation to the skin (Correct answer)
- Airway, breathing, circulation
- Mental status, pupils, motor function
Correct answer: Appearance, work of breathing, circulation to the skin
The PAT provides a rapid across-the-room assessment using Appearance, Work of Breathing, and Circulation to the Skin to identify life threats.
Question 2: What is the normal respiratory rate for a 2-year-old child?
- 8–12 breaths/min
- 12–20 breaths/min
- 22–37 breaths/min (Correct answer)
- 40–60 breaths/min
Correct answer: 22–37 breaths/min
Normal respiratory rate for a toddler (1–3 years) is approximately 22–37 breaths per minute.
Question 3: The Broselow tape is used in pediatric emergencies to:
- Measure the child's height for documentation
- Estimate body weight and guide drug dosing and equipment selection based on length (Correct answer)
- Assess pain level on a visual scale
- Calculate the Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale score
Correct answer: Estimate body weight and guide drug dosing and equipment selection based on length
The Broselow tape uses a child's length to estimate weight and provide color-coded dosing and equipment size recommendations.
Question 4: A child presents with a seal-bark cough, inspiratory stridor, and mild respiratory distress. This presentation is MOST consistent with:
- Epiglottitis
- Croup (laryngotracheobronchitis) (Correct answer)
- Bronchiolitis
- Asthma exacerbation
Correct answer: Croup (laryngotracheobronchitis)
Croup produces the classic seal-bark cough and inspiratory stridor due to viral subglottic inflammation, typically in children aged 6 months to 3 years.
Question 5: A febrile 18-month-old is brought in for a generalized tonic-clonic seizure lasting 2 minutes that stopped spontaneously. The MOST likely diagnosis is:
- Status epilepticus
- Simple febrile seizure (Correct answer)
- Meningitis
- Hypoglycemia
Correct answer: Simple febrile seizure
A simple febrile seizure is a generalized seizure lasting less than 15 minutes in a child aged 6 months to 5 years associated with fever, with no underlying neurologic cause.
Question 6: When ventilating an infant with a BVM, you should use a tidal volume of approximately:
- 6–8 mL/kg, just enough to produce visible chest rise (Correct answer)
- 20 mL/kg to ensure adequate oxygenation
- Fixed 500 mL adult volume
- Whatever volume fills the infant BVM bag
Correct answer: 6–8 mL/kg, just enough to produce visible chest rise
Infant ventilations should deliver 6–8 mL/kg — the key clinical indicator is visible chest rise, avoiding over-inflation.
AEMT Pediatric and Geriatric Emergencies 1
The Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) evaluates three components.
Which of the following correctly lists them?