PCP Pediatric Emergencies 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) evaluates which three components?
- Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate
- Appearance, Work of Breathing, Circulation to Skin (Correct answer)
- AVPU, pupils, GCS
- Airway, Breathing, Circulation
Correct answer: Appearance, Work of Breathing, Circulation to Skin
The PAT rapidly assesses Appearance (tone, interactiveness), Work of Breathing (effort, sounds), and Circulation to Skin (color, mottling).
Question 2: The most common cause of cardiac arrest in children is:
- Ventricular fibrillation
- Respiratory failure leading to hypoxic arrest (Correct answer)
- Congenital heart defect rupture
- Hypovolemic shock
Correct answer: Respiratory failure leading to hypoxic arrest
Unlike adults, pediatric cardiac arrest most often results from respiratory failure progressing to hypoxic arrest.
Question 3: A 2-year-old has a respiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute. This is:
- Bradypnea
- Normal for this age (Correct answer)
- Significant tachypnea
- A sign of respiratory failure
Correct answer: Normal for this age
Normal respiratory rate for a 2-year-old is 24–40 breaths per minute, so 30 is within normal limits.
Question 4: What is the correct compression-to-ventilation ratio for two-rescuer infant CPR?
- 30:2
- 15:2 (Correct answer)
- 5:1
- 30:1
Correct answer: 15:2
Two-rescuer infant CPR uses a 15:2 ratio, allowing more frequent ventilations given the respiratory etiology of most pediatric arrests.
Question 5: Febrile seizures in children are most commonly associated with:
- Meningitis
- Rapidly rising body temperature (Correct answer)
- Prolonged high fever over 48 hours
- Epilepsy
Correct answer: Rapidly rising body temperature
Simple febrile seizures are triggered by rapid temperature rises, not necessarily very high temperatures.
Question 6: Which of the following signs most strongly suggests epiglottitis in a child?
- Barking cough, hoarse voice
- Drooling, tripod positioning, toxic appearance (Correct answer)
- Mild stridor with runny nose
- Low-grade fever with croup-like cough
Correct answer: Drooling, tripod positioning, toxic appearance
Epiglottitis presents with drooling, tripod positioning, muffled voice, and a toxic (very ill) appearance.
PCP Pediatric Emergencies 1
The Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) evaluates which three components?