Pediatric Respiratory Emergencies

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Pediatric Respiratory Emergencies

• Caring for Little Patients

EPAB Continuing Education By Jon Puryear NREMT-P
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Objectives of this lecture

• List and treat some of the different medical
  emergencies that pediatrics suffer from
• Croup
• Epiglotitis
• Asthma
• Bronchiolitis
• Foreign Body Aspiration
• New 2005 AHA changes in children

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Pediatrics

• Respiratory Emergencies

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Respiratory Emergencies

• 1 cause of
• Pediatric hospital admissions
• Death during first year of life except for
  congenital abnormalities

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Respiratory Emergencies

• Most pediatric cardiac arrest begins as
  respiratory failure or respiratory arrest

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Pediatric Respiratory System

• Large head, small mandible, small neck
• Large, posteriorly-placed tongue
• High glottic opening
• Small airways
• Presence of tonsils, adenoids

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Pediatric Respiratory System

• Poor accessory muscle development
• Less rigid thoracic cage
• Horizontal ribs, primarily diaphragm breathers
• Increased metabolic rate, increased O2 consumption

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Pediatric Respiratory System

• Decrease respiratory reserve Increased O2
  demand Increased respiratory failure risk

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Respiratory Distress
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Respiratory Distress

• Tachycardia (May be bradycardia in neonate)
• Head bobbing, stridor, prolonged expiration
• Abdominal breathing
• Grunting--creates CPAP

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Respiratory Emergencies

• Croup
• Epiglotitis
• Asthma
• Bronchiolitis
• Foreign body aspiration

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Laryngotracheobronchitis

• Croup

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Croup Pathophysiology

• Viral infection (parainfluenza)
• Affects larynx, trachea
• Subglottic edema Air flow obstruction

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Croup Incidence

• 6 months to 4 years
• Males gt Females
• Fall, early winter

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Croup Signs/Symptoms

• Cold progressing to hoarseness, cough
• Low grade fever
• Night-time increase in edema with
• Stridor
• Seal bark cough
• Respiratory distress
• Cyanosis
• Recurs on several nights

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Croup Management

• Mild Croup
• Reassurance
• Moist, cool air

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Croup Management

• Severe Croup
• Humidified high concentration oxygen
• Monitor EKG
• IV tko if tolerated
• Nebulized racemic epinephrine is the hospital
  treatment
• Anticipate need to intubate, assist ventilations

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Epiglotitis
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Epiglotitis Pathophysiology

• Bacterial infection (Hemophilus influenza)
• Affects epiglottis, adjacent pharyngeal tissue
• Supraglottic edema

Complete Airway Obstruction
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Epiglotitis Incidence

• Children gt 4 years old
• Common in ages 4 - 7
• Pedi incidence falling due to HiB vaccination
• Can occur in adults, particularly elderly
• Incidence in adults is increasing

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Epiglotitis Signs/Symptoms

• Rapid onset, severe distress in hours
• High fever
• Intense sore throat, difficulty swallowing
• Drooling
• Stridor
• Sits up, leans forward, extends neck slightly
• One-third present unconscious, in shock

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Epiglotitis

• Respiratory distress Sore
  throatDrooling
• Epiglottitis

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Epiglotitis Management

• High concentration oxygen
• IV tko, if possible
• Rapid transport
• Do not attempt to visualize airway

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Asthma
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Asthma Pathophysiology

• Lower airway hypersensitivity to
• Allergies
• Infection
• Irritants
• Emotional stress
• Cold
• Exercise

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Asthma Pathophysiology
Bronchospasm
Bronchial Edema
Increased Mucus Production
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Asthma Pathophysiology
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Asthma Pathophysiology
Cast of airway produced by asthmatic mucus plugs
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Asthma Signs/Symptoms

• Dyspnea
• Signs of respiratory distress
• Nasal flaring
• Tracheal tugging
• Accessory muscle use
• Suprasternal, intercostal, epigastric retractions

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Asthma Signs/Symptoms

• Coughing
• Expiratory wheezing
• Tachypnea
• Cyanosis

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Asthma Prolonged Attacks

• Increase in respiratory water loss
• Decreased fluid intake
• Dehydration

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Asthma History

• How long has patient been wheezing?
• How much fluid has patient had?
• Recent respiratory tract infection?
• Medications? When? How much?
• Allergies?
• Previous hospitalizations?

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Asthma Physical Exam

• Patient position?
• Drowsy or stuporous?
• Signs/symptoms of dehydration?
• Chest movement?
• Quality of breath sounds?

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Asthma Risk Assessment

• Prior ICU admissions
• Prior intubation
• gt3 emergency department visits in past year
• gt2 hospital admissions in past year
• gt1 bronchodilator canister used in past month
• Use of bronchodilators gt every 4 hours
• Chronic use of steroids
• Progressive symptoms in spite of aggressive Rx

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Asthma

• Silent Chest equals Danger

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Golden Rule
ALL THAT WHEEZES IS NOT ASTHMA

• Pulmonary edema
• Allergic reactions
• Pneumonia
• Foreign body aspiration

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Asthma Management

• Airway
• Breathing
• Sitting position
• Humidified O2 by NRB mask
• Dry O2 dries mucus, worsens plugs
• Encourage coughing
• Consider intubation, assisted ventilation

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Asthma Management

• Circulation
• IV TKO
• Assess for dehydration
• Titrate fluid administration to severity of
  dehydration
• Monitor ECG

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Asthma Management

• Obtain medication history
• Overdose
• Arrhythmias

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Asthma Management

• Nebulized Beta-2 agents
• Albuterol

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Asthma Management

• Subcutaneous beta agents
• Terbutaline--0.25 mg SQ
• Epinephrine 11000--0.1 to 0.3 mg SQ?

POSSIBLE BENEFIT IN PATIENTS WITH VENTILATORY
FAILURE
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Asthma Management

• Use EXTREME caution in giving two
  sympathomimetics to same patient
• Monitor ECG

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Status Asthmaticus

• Asthma attack unresponsive to ?-2 adrenergic
  agents

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Bronchiolitis
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Bronchiolitis Pathophysiology

• Viral infection (RSV)
• Inflammatory bronchiolar edema
• Air trapping

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Bronchiolitis Incidence

• Children lt 2 years old
• 80 of patients lt 1 year old
• Epidemics January through May

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Bronchiolitis Signs/Symptoms

• Infant lt 1 year old
• Recent upper respiratory infection exposure
• Gradual onset of respiratory distress
• Expiratory wheezing
• Extreme tachypnea (60 - 100/min)
• Cyanosis

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Asthma vs Bronchiolitis

• Asthma
• Age - gt 2 years
• Fever - usually normal
• Family Hx - positive
• Hx of allergies - positive
• Response to Epi - positive

• Bronchiolitis
• Age - lt 2 years
• Fever - positive
• Family Hx - negative
• Hx of allergies - negative
• Response to Epi - negative

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Bronchiolitis Management

• Humidified oxygen by NRB mask
• Monitor EKG
• IV tko
• Anticipate order for bronchodilators
• Anticipate need to intubate, assist ventilations

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Foreign Body Airway Obstruction

• FBAO

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FBAO High Risk Groups

• gt 90 of deaths children lt 5 years old
• 65 of deaths infants

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FBAO Signs/Symptoms

• Suspect in any previously well, afebrile child
  with sudden onset of
• Respiratory distress
• Choking
• Coughing
• Stridor
• Wheezing

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FBAO Management

• Minimize intervention if child conscious,
  maintaining own airway
• 100 oxygen as tolerated
• No blind sweeps of oral cavity
• Wheezing
• Object in small airway
• Avoid trying to dislodge in field

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FBAO Management

• Inadequate ventilation
• Infant 5 back blows/5 chest thrusts
• Child Abdominal thrusts

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New 2005 AHA Changes

• What Changes for Pediatrics?

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CPR Changes

• Compressions to Ventilations
• 152 for one rescuer
• 152 for two rescuer
• How to perform compressions?
• They prefer to perform the two thumb method in
  two rescuer CPR

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ACLS Changes

• Defibrillations
• Only one defibrillation at a time instead of
  stack shocks
• First still 2 J/kg
• Second and subsequent still 4 J/kg
• Medicines
• Epinephrine
• No more high dose 11,000
• All doses are 0.01 mg/kg 110,000

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Questions?