After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
- Discuss the paramedic’s role in the reduction of infant and childhood morbidity and mortality from acute illness and injury.
- Identify methods/mechanisms that prevent injuries to infants and children.
- Describe Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) and how it can affect patient outcome.
- Identify the common family responses to acute illness and injury of an infant or child.
- Describe techniques for successful interaction with families of acutely ill or injured infants and children.
- Identify key anatomical, physiological, growth, and developmental characteristics of infants and children and their implications.
- Outline differences in adult and childhood anatomy, physiology, and "normal" age-group-related vital signs.
- Describe techniques for successful assessment and treatment of infants and children.
- Discuss the appropriate equipment used to obtain pediatric vital signs.
- Determine appropriate airway adjuncts, ventilation devices, and endotracheal intubation equipment, their proper use, and complications of use for infants and children.
- List the indications and methods of gastric decompression for infants and children.
- Define pediatric respiratory distress, failure, and arrest.
- Differentiate between upper airway obstruction and lower airway disease.
- Describe the general approach to the treatment of children with respiratory distress, failure, or arrest from upper airway obstruction or lower airway disease.
- Discuss the common causes and relative severity of hypoperfusion in infants and children.
- Identify the major classifications of pediatric cardiac rhythms.
- Discuss the primary etiologies of cardiopulmonary arrest in infants and children.
- Discuss age-appropriate sites, equipment, techniques, and complications of vascular access for infants and children.
- Describe the primary etiologies of altered level of consciousness in infants and children.
- Identify common lethal mechanisms of injury in infants and children.
- Discuss anatomical features of children that predispose or protect them from certain injuries.
- Describe aspects of infant and child airway management that are affected by potential cervical spine injury.
- Identify infant and child trauma patients who require spinal immobilization.
- Discuss fluid management and shock treatment for infant and child trauma patients.
- Determine when pain management and sedation are appropriate for infants and children.
- Define child abuse, child neglect, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
- Discuss the parent/caregiver responses to the death of an infant or child.
- Define children with special health care needs and technology-assisted children.
- Discuss basic cardiac life support (CPR) guidelines for infants and children.
- Integrate advanced life support skills with basic cardiac life support for infants and children.
- Discuss the indications, dosage, route of administration, and special considerations for medication administration in infants and children.
- Discuss appropriate transport guidelines for low- and high-risk infants and children.
- Describe the epidemiology, including the incidence, morbidity/mortality, risk factors, prevention strategies, pathophysiology, assessment, and treatment of infants and children with:
- Respiratory distress/failure
- Hypoperfusion
- Cardiac dysrhythmias
- Neurological emergencies
- Trauma
- Abuse and neglect
- Special health-care needs, including technology-assisted children
- SIDS
- Given several pre-programmed simulated pediatric patients, provide the appropriate assessment, treatment, and transport.
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