Wed3November0832PM 6

In paediatric resuscitation:

True / False

The first shock from the defibrillator should be set at 5 joules/kg Correct

A cardiac arrest in a child is usually precipitated by a respiratory problem Correct

The correct dose of atropine is 0.1 mg/kg Correct

During an asystolic arrest in a 8 kg infant, the first dose of adrenaline is 0.8 mg Correct

1 mmol/kg of sodium bicarbonate is routinely administered during a paediatric cardiac arrest Correct

Explanation

Primary cardiac arrest is rare in children with structurally normal hearts, and disorders of the respiratory tract are frequently responsible for precipitating paediatric cardiac arrests. Familiarity with the principles, equipment and doses of the drugs used in resuscitation is essential. A setting of 4 joules/kg should be used for the shocks during defibrillation (not 5 joules/kg).

Adrenaline or epinephrine is used in the management of both shockable rhythms (e.g. ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia) and non-shockable rhythms (e.g. asystole and pulseless electrical activity). The dose of adrenaline used in a cardiac arrest is 10 micrograms per kg (0.1 ml/kg of the 1 in 10,000 solution) given intravenously or intraosseously. Thus for an 8 kg infant the correct initial dose of adrenaline is 80 micrograms (not 0.8 mg).

Atropine has a limited role in paediatric resuscitation and the correct dose is 20 micrograms per kg (not 0.1 mg/kg).

8.4% sodium bicarbonate does have a role in paediatric resuscitation and the dose is 1 mmol/kg. However, it is not used routinely during a cardiac arrest and its administration is usually guided by the results of the arterial blood gases.

Answer Statistics

Not enough data to display the statistics

Average score: 85.80%

Times answered: 255