PALS Precourse Self-Assessment Answer 2024 [PDF]

1) Section 1: Rhythm Identification

Answers for section 1: Identify the rhythm by selecting the best answer.

Clinical clues: heart rate 44/min; no detectable pulses.

2) Clinical clue: heart rate 214/min

3) Clinical clues: age 7 years; heart rate 38/min

4) Clinical clues: initial rhythm associated with heart rate 300/min.

5) Clinical clues: heart rate 150/min.

6) Clinical clues: age 8 years; heart rate 78/min.

7) Clinical clues: febrile infant; heart rate 188/min.

8) Clinical clues: age 3 months; heart rate 65/min.

9) Clinical clues: heart rate 200/min; no detectable pulses.

10) Clinical clue: no detectable pulses.

11) Clinical clues: initial rhythm associated with no detectable pulses.

12) Clinical clues: no consistent heart rate detected; no detectable pulses.

13) Clinical clue: heart rate 300/min.

14) Section 2: Pharmacology Answers

A 9-year-old boy is agitated and leaning forward on the bed in obvious respiratory distress. The patient is speaking in short phrases and tells you that he has asthma but does not carry an inhaler. He has nasal flaring, severe suprasternal and intercostal retractions, and decreased air movement with prolonged expiratory time and wheezing. You administer 100% oxygen by a nonrebreathing mask. His SpO2 is 92%. Which medication do you prepare to give to this patient?

15) Which oxygen delivery system most reliably delivers a high (90% or greater) concentration of inspired oxygen to a 7-year-old child?

16) You are part of a team attempting to resuscitate a child with ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest. You delivered 2 unsynchronized shocks. A team member established IO access, so you give a dose of epinephrine, 0.01 mg/kg IO. At the next rhythm check, persistent ventricular fibrillation is present. You administer a 4-J/kg shock and resume CPR. Which drug and dose should be administered next?

17) Which statement is correct about the effects of epinephrine during attempted resuscitation?

18) You are called to help treat an infant with severe symptomatic bradycardia (heart rate 66/min) associated with respiratory distress. The bradycardia persists despite establishment of an effective airway, oxygenation, and ventilation. There is no heart block present. Which is the first drug you should administer?

19) Which statement is correct about endotracheal drug administration during resuscitative efforts for pediatric patients

20) Which statement is correct about the use of calcium chloride in pediatric patients?

21) A previously healthy infant with a history of vomiting and diarrhea is brought to the emergency department by her parents. During your assessment, you find that the infant responds only to painful stimulation. The infant’s respiratory rate is 40 breaths per minute, and central pulses are rapid and weak. The infant has good bilateral breath sounds, cool extremities, and a capillary refill time of more than 5 seconds. The infant’s blood pressure is 85/65 mm Hg, and glucose is 30 mg/dL (1.65 mmol/L). You administer 100% oxygen via face mask and start an IV. Which treatment is the most appropriate for this infant?

22) Initial impression of a 2-year-old girl shows her to be alert with mild breathing difficulty during inspiration and pale skin color. On primary assessment, she makes high-pitched inspiratory sounds (mild stridor) when agitated; otherwise, her breathing is quiet. Her SpO2 is 92% on room air, and she has mild inspiratory intercostal retractions. Lung auscultation reveals transmitted upper airway sounds with adequate distal breath sounds bilaterally. Which is the most appropriate initial intervention for this child?

23) Paramedics are called to the home of a 1-year-old child. Their initial assessment reveals a child who responds only to painful stimuli and has irregular breathing, faint central pulses, bruises over the abdomen, abdominal distention, and cyanosis. Bag- mask ventilation with 100% oxygen is initiated. The child’s heart rate is 36/min. Peripheral pulses cannot be palpated, and central pulses are barely palpable. The cardiac monitor shows sinus bradycardia. Two- rescuer CPR is started. Upon arrival to the emergency department, the child is intubated and ventilated with 100% oxygen, and IV access is established. The heart rate is now 150/min with weak central pulses but no distal pulses. Systolic blood pressure is 74 mm Hg. Which intervention should be provided next?

24) Section 3: Practical Application Answers

You need to provide rescue breaths to a child victim with a pulse. What is the appropriate rate for delivering breaths?

25) A 3-year-old unresponsive, apneic child is brought to the emergency department. EMS personnel report that the child became unresponsive as they arrived at the hospital. The child is receiving CPR with bag- mask ventilation. The rhythm shown here is on the cardiac monitor. A biphasic manual defibrillator is present. You quickly use the length from head to heel of the child on a color-coded length-based resuscitation tape to estimate the approximate weight as 15 kg. Which therapy is most appropriate for this child at this time?

26) You are supervising a student who is inserting an IO needle into an infant’s tibia. The student asks you what she should look for to know that she has successfully inserted the needle into the bone marrow cavity. What do you tell her?

27) A 4-year-old boy is in pulseless arrest in the pediatric intensive care unit. High-quality CPR is in progress. You quickly review his chart and find that his baseline-corrected QT interval on a 12-lead ECG is prolonged. The monitor shows recurrent episodes of the rhythm shown here. The patient has received 1 dose of epinephrine 0.01 mg/kg, but the rhythm shown here continues. If this rhythm persists at the next rhythm check, which medication would be most appropriate to administer at that time?

28) You are caring for a 3-year-old with vomiting and diarrhea. You have established IV access. The child’s pulses are palpable but faint, and the child is now lethargic. The heart rate is variable (range, 44/min to 62/min). You begin bag-mask ventilation with 100% oxygen. When the heart rate does not improve, you begin chest compressions. The rhythm shown here is seen on the cardiac monitor. Which would be the most appropriate therapy to consider next?

29) What ratio of compressions to breaths should be used for 1-rescuer child CPR?

30) A pale and very sleepy but arousable 3-year-old child with a history of diarrhea is brought to the hospital. Primary assessment reveals a respiratory rate of 45/min with good breath sounds bilaterally. Heart rate is 150/min, blood pressure is 90/64 mm Hg, and SpO2 is 92% in room air. Capillary refill is 5 seconds, and peripheral pulses are weak. After placing the child on a nonrebreathing face mask (10-L/min flow) with 100% oxygen and obtaining vascular access, which is the most appropriate immediate treatment for this child?

31) How can rescuers ensure that they are providing effective breaths when using a bag-mask device?

32) You are giving chest compressions for a child in cardiac arrest. What is the proper depth of compressions for a child?

33) You find an infant who is unresponsive, is not breathing, and does not have a pulse. You shout for nearby help, but no one arrives. What action should you take next?

34) You and another rescuer begin CPR. Your colleague begins compressions, and you notice that the compression rate is too slow. What should you say to offer constructive feedback?

35) A child becomes unresponsive in the emergency department and is not breathing. You are uncertain if a faint pulse is present. You shout for help and provide ventilation with 100% oxygen. The rhythm shown here is seen on the cardiac monitor. What is your next action?

36) An 8-month-old infant is brought to the emergency department for evaluation of severe diarrhea and dehydration. On arrival to the emergency department, the infant becomes unresponsive, apneic, and pulseless. You shout for help and start CPR. Another provider arrives, at which point you switch to 2-rescuer CPR. The rhythm shown here is seen on the cardiac monitor. The infant is intubated and ventilated with 100% oxygen. An IO line is established, and a dose of epinephrine is given. While continuing high-quality CPR, what do you do next?

37) A 3-year-old boy presents with multiple-system trauma. The child was an unrestrained passenger in a high-speed motor vehicle crash. On primary assessment, he is unresponsive to voice or painful stimulation. His respiratory rate is 5/min, heart rate and pulses are 170/min, systolic blood pressure is 60 mm Hg, capillary refill is 5 seconds, and SpO2 is 75% on room air. Which action should you take first?

38) A 7-year-old boy is found unresponsive, apneic, and pulseless. CPR is ongoing. The child is intubated, and vascular access is established. The ECG monitor shows an organized rhythm with a heart rate of 45/min, but a pulse check reveals no palpable pulses. High-quality CPR is resumed, and an initial IV dose of epinephrine is administered. Which intervention should you perform next?

39) You are preparing to use a manual defibrillator in the pediatric setting. Which best describes when it is appropriate to use the smaller, pediatric-sized paddles?

40) During bag-mask ventilation, how should you hold the mask to make an effective seal between the child’s face and the mask?

41) An 18-month-old child has a 1-week history of cough and runny nose. The child has diffuse cyanosis and is responsive only to painful stimulation with slow respirations and rapid central pulses. The child’s respiratory rate has decreased from 65/min to 10/min, severe inspiratory intercostal retractions are present, heart rate is 160/min, SpO2 is 65% in room air, and capillary refill is less than 2 seconds. Which are the most appropriate immediate interventions for this toddler?

42) An 8-year-old child was struck by a car. He arrives in the emergency department alert, anxious, and in respiratory distress. His cervical spine is immobilized, and he is receiving a 10-L/min flow of 100% oxygen by nonrebreathing face mask. His respiratory rate is 60/min, heart rate 150/min, systolic blood pressure 70 mm Hg, and SpO2 84%. Breath sounds are absent over the right chest but present over the left chest, and the trachea is deviated to the left. He has weak central pulses and absent distal pulses. Which intervention should be performed next?

43) What compression-to-ventilation ratio should be used for 2-rescuer infant CPR?

44) You just assisted with the elective endotracheal intubation of a child with respiratory failure and a perfusing rhythm. Which provides a reliable, prompt assessment of correct endotracheal tube placement in this child?

45) A 10-month-old infant boy is brought to the emergency department. Your initial assessment reveals a lethargic, pale infant with slow respirations and slow, weak central pulses. One team member begins ventilation with a bag-mask device with 100% oxygen. A second team member attaches the monitor/defibrillator and obtains vital signs while a third team member attempts to establish IV/IO access. The patient’s heart rate is 38/min with the rhythm shown here. The infant’s blood pressure is 58/38 mm Hg, and capillary refill is 4 seconds. His central pulses remain weak, and distal pulses cannot be palpated. Chest compressions are started and IO access is obtained. Which medication do you anticipate will be given next?

46) A 1-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department for evaluation of poor feeding, irritability, and sweating. The child is lethargic but arousable. He has labored breathing, very rapid pulses, and a dusky color. His respiratory rate is 68/min, heart rate 300/min, and blood pressure 70/45 mm Hg. He has weak brachial pulses and absent radial pulses, a capillary refill of 6 seconds, SpO2 85% in room air, and good bilateral breath sounds. You administer high-flow oxygen and place the child on a cardiac monitor and see the rhythm shown here. The child has no history of congenital heart disease. IV access has been established. Which therapy is most appropriate for this child?

47) You are evaluating an irritable 6-year-old girl with mottled skin color. The patient is febrile (temperature 40°C [104°F]), and her extremities are cold with capillary refill of 5 seconds. Distal pulses are absent and central pulses are weak. Heart rate is 180/min, respiratory rate is 45/min, and blood pressure is 98/56 mm Hg. How would you categorize this child’s condition?

48) You find a 10-year-old boy to be unresponsive. You shout for help, and after finding that he is not breathing and has no pulse, you and a colleague begin CPR. Another colleague activates the emergency response system, brings the emergency equipment, and places the child on a cardiac monitor/defibrillator, which reveals the rhythm shown here. You attempt defibrillation at 2 J/kg and give 2 minutes of CPR. The rhythm persists at the second rhythm check, at which point you attempt defibrillation with 4 J/kg. A fourth colleague arrives, starts an IV, and administers 1 dose of epinephrine 0.01 mg/kg. If ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia persists after 2 minutes of CPR, you will administer another shock. Which drug and dose should be administered next?

49) Why is allowing complete chest recoil important when performing high-quality CPR?

50) You are assisting in the elective intubation of an average-sized 4-year-old child with respiratory failure. A colleague is retrieving the color-coded length-based tape from the resuscitation cart. Which of the following is likely to be the estimated size of the uncuffed endotracheal tube for this child?

51) You are alone and witness a child suddenly collapse. There is no suspected head or neck injury. A colleague responded to your shout for help and is activating the emergency response system and is retrieving the resuscitation equipment, including a defibrillator. After delivering 30 compressions, what would be your next action?

52) You are caring for a 6-year-old patient who is receiving positive-pressure mechanical ventilation via an endotracheal tube. The child begins to move his head and suddenly becomes cyanotic, and his heart rate decreases. His SpO2 is 65%. You remove the child from the mechanical ventilator and begin to provide manual ventilation with a bag via the endotracheal tube. During manual ventilation with 100% oxygen, the child’s color and heart rate improve slightly and his blood pressure remains adequate. Breath sounds and chest expansion are present and adequate on the right side and are present but consistently diminished on the left side. The trachea is not deviated, and the neck veins are not distended. A suction catheter passes easily beyond the tip of the endotracheal tube. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this child’s acute deterioration?