AHA PALS POST-TEST QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
You are the Team Leader during a pediatric resuscitation attempt. What action is an
element of high-quality CPR? - ANSWER -Allowing complete chest wall recoil after
each compression
An 8-year-old child is brought to the emergency department by his mother for difficulty
breathing. He has a history of asthma and nut allergies. His mother tells you that he
recently ate a cookie at a family picnic. What condition is most likely to be present in this
child? - ANSWER -Upper airway obstruction
An 8-year-old child is brought to the emergency department by ambulance after being
involved in a motor vehicle collision. What finding would suggest that immediate
intervention is needed? - ANSWER -Decreased level of consciousness
A 6-year-old child is found unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse. One
healthcare worker leaves to activate the emergency response system and get the
resuscitation equipment. You and another healthcare provider immediately begin
performing CPR. What compression-to-ventilation ratio do you use? - ANSWER -15:2
A 3-year-old child is in cardiac arrest, and high-quality CPR is in progress. You are the
Team Leader. The first rhythm check reveals the rhythm shown here. Defibrillation is
attempted with a shock dose of 2 J/kg. After shock administration, what should you say
to your team members? - ANSWER -"Resume compressions."
You are caring for a 5-year-old boy with a 4-day history of high fever and cough. He is
having increasing lethargy, grunting, and sleepiness. Now he is difficult to arouse and is
unresponsive to voice commands. His oxygen saturation is 72% on room air and 89%
when on a nonrebreathing oxygen mask. He has shallow respirations with a respiratory
rate of 38/min. Auscultation of the lungs reveals bilateral crackles. What assessment
finding is consistent with respiratory failure in this child? - ANSWER -Oxygen saturation
In which of the following situations may IO access be used? - ANSWER -An extremity
with slow a capillary refill time
A 2-week-old infant is being evaluated for irritability and poor feeding. His blood
pressure is 55/40 mm Hg, and capillary refill time is 5 seconds. Which statement best
describes your assessment of this infant's blood pressure? - ANSWER -It is
hypotensive.
You are caring for patients in the emergency department. Which 2-year-old child
requires immediate intervention? - ANSWER -A child who is grunting
, A 3-year-old child is having difficulty breathing. What finding would most likely lead you
to suspect an upper airway obstruction in this child? - ANSWER -Increased inspiratory
effort with retractions
A team member is unable to perform an assigned task because it is beyond the team
member's scope of practice. What action should the team member take? - ANSWER -
Ask for a new task or role
You are caring for a 5-year-old boy with a 4-day history of high fever and cough. He is
having increasing lethargy, grunting, and sleepiness. Now he is difficult to arouse and is
unresponsive to voice commands. His oxygen saturation is 72% on room air and 89%
when on a nonrebreathing oxygen mask. He has shallow respirations with a respiratory
rate of 38/min. Auscultation of the lungs reveals bilateral crackles. What medication
would be most appropriate? - ANSWER -An antibiotic
During a resuscitation attempt, the Team Leader asks you to administer an initial dose
of epinephrine at 0.1 mg/kg to be given IO. How should you respond? - ANSWER -"I
think the correct dose is 0.01 mg/kg. Should I give that dose instead?"
A 6-month-old infant is unresponsive. You begin checking for breathing at the same
time you check for the infant's pulse. What is the maximum time you should spend
trying to simultaneously check for breathing and palpate the infant's pulse before
starting CPR? - ANSWER -10 seconds
A 10-year-old child is being evaluated for a headache. What is a normal finding for this
10-year-old child? - ANSWER -Heart rate of 88/min
A 6-year-old boy is being evaluated for difficulty breathing. What finding would suggest
this child has respiratory distress? - ANSWER -Audible inspiratory stridor
A 4-year-old child in cardiac arrest is brought to the emergency department by
ambulance. High-quality CPR is being performed. The cardiac monitor displays the
rhythm strip shown here. The estimated weight of the child is 20 kg. What dosage range
should you use for initial defibrillation? - ANSWER -2 to 4 J/kg
A 4-year-old child in cardiac arrest is brought to the emergency department by
ambulance. High-quality CPR is being performed. The cardiac monitor displays the
rhythm strip shown here. The estimated weight of the child is 20 kg. As the Team
Leader, how many joules do you tell your team member to use to perform initial
defibrillation? - ANSWER -40 J
You respond to an infant who is unresponsive, is not breathing, and does not have a
pulse. You do not have a mobile device, and you shout for nearby help but no one
arrives. What action should you take next? - ANSWER -Begin CPR for 2 minutes before
leaving to activate the emergency response system
ANSWERS
You are the Team Leader during a pediatric resuscitation attempt. What action is an
element of high-quality CPR? - ANSWER -Allowing complete chest wall recoil after
each compression
An 8-year-old child is brought to the emergency department by his mother for difficulty
breathing. He has a history of asthma and nut allergies. His mother tells you that he
recently ate a cookie at a family picnic. What condition is most likely to be present in this
child? - ANSWER -Upper airway obstruction
An 8-year-old child is brought to the emergency department by ambulance after being
involved in a motor vehicle collision. What finding would suggest that immediate
intervention is needed? - ANSWER -Decreased level of consciousness
A 6-year-old child is found unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse. One
healthcare worker leaves to activate the emergency response system and get the
resuscitation equipment. You and another healthcare provider immediately begin
performing CPR. What compression-to-ventilation ratio do you use? - ANSWER -15:2
A 3-year-old child is in cardiac arrest, and high-quality CPR is in progress. You are the
Team Leader. The first rhythm check reveals the rhythm shown here. Defibrillation is
attempted with a shock dose of 2 J/kg. After shock administration, what should you say
to your team members? - ANSWER -"Resume compressions."
You are caring for a 5-year-old boy with a 4-day history of high fever and cough. He is
having increasing lethargy, grunting, and sleepiness. Now he is difficult to arouse and is
unresponsive to voice commands. His oxygen saturation is 72% on room air and 89%
when on a nonrebreathing oxygen mask. He has shallow respirations with a respiratory
rate of 38/min. Auscultation of the lungs reveals bilateral crackles. What assessment
finding is consistent with respiratory failure in this child? - ANSWER -Oxygen saturation
In which of the following situations may IO access be used? - ANSWER -An extremity
with slow a capillary refill time
A 2-week-old infant is being evaluated for irritability and poor feeding. His blood
pressure is 55/40 mm Hg, and capillary refill time is 5 seconds. Which statement best
describes your assessment of this infant's blood pressure? - ANSWER -It is
hypotensive.
You are caring for patients in the emergency department. Which 2-year-old child
requires immediate intervention? - ANSWER -A child who is grunting
, A 3-year-old child is having difficulty breathing. What finding would most likely lead you
to suspect an upper airway obstruction in this child? - ANSWER -Increased inspiratory
effort with retractions
A team member is unable to perform an assigned task because it is beyond the team
member's scope of practice. What action should the team member take? - ANSWER -
Ask for a new task or role
You are caring for a 5-year-old boy with a 4-day history of high fever and cough. He is
having increasing lethargy, grunting, and sleepiness. Now he is difficult to arouse and is
unresponsive to voice commands. His oxygen saturation is 72% on room air and 89%
when on a nonrebreathing oxygen mask. He has shallow respirations with a respiratory
rate of 38/min. Auscultation of the lungs reveals bilateral crackles. What medication
would be most appropriate? - ANSWER -An antibiotic
During a resuscitation attempt, the Team Leader asks you to administer an initial dose
of epinephrine at 0.1 mg/kg to be given IO. How should you respond? - ANSWER -"I
think the correct dose is 0.01 mg/kg. Should I give that dose instead?"
A 6-month-old infant is unresponsive. You begin checking for breathing at the same
time you check for the infant's pulse. What is the maximum time you should spend
trying to simultaneously check for breathing and palpate the infant's pulse before
starting CPR? - ANSWER -10 seconds
A 10-year-old child is being evaluated for a headache. What is a normal finding for this
10-year-old child? - ANSWER -Heart rate of 88/min
A 6-year-old boy is being evaluated for difficulty breathing. What finding would suggest
this child has respiratory distress? - ANSWER -Audible inspiratory stridor
A 4-year-old child in cardiac arrest is brought to the emergency department by
ambulance. High-quality CPR is being performed. The cardiac monitor displays the
rhythm strip shown here. The estimated weight of the child is 20 kg. What dosage range
should you use for initial defibrillation? - ANSWER -2 to 4 J/kg
A 4-year-old child in cardiac arrest is brought to the emergency department by
ambulance. High-quality CPR is being performed. The cardiac monitor displays the
rhythm strip shown here. The estimated weight of the child is 20 kg. As the Team
Leader, how many joules do you tell your team member to use to perform initial
defibrillation? - ANSWER -40 J
You respond to an infant who is unresponsive, is not breathing, and does not have a
pulse. You do not have a mobile device, and you shout for nearby help but no one
arrives. What action should you take next? - ANSWER -Begin CPR for 2 minutes before
leaving to activate the emergency response system
