AHA PALS PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY CARE UPDATE
2026/2027 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ALREADY GRADED A+
1. In which of the following situations may IO access be used?
A. An extremity with signs of infection
B. An extremity with signs of a crush injury
C. An extremity with a previous unsuccessful IO attempt
D. An extremity with slow capillary refill time
ANSWER: D. An extremity with slow capillary refill time
2. A 2-week-old infant is being evaluated for irritability and poor
feeding. His BP is 55/40 mm Hg, and capillary refill time is 5 seconds.
Which statement best describes your assessment of this infant's BP?
A. It represents compensated shock
B. It is hypertensive
C. It is hypotensive
D. It is normal
ANSWER: C. It is hypotensive
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,3. You are caring for patients in the emergency department. Which 2-
year-old child requires immediate intervention?
A. A child who is grunting
B. A child with an SpO₂ of 95% on room air
C. A child with a systolic BP of 92 mm Hg
D. A child with a temperature of 37.4°C (99.3°F)
ANSWER: A. A child who is grunting
4. A 3-year-old child is having difficulty breathing. Which finding
would most likely lead you to suspect an upper airway obstruction in
this child?
A. Expiratory breath sounds
B. Decreased expiratory effort
C. Increased inspiratory effort with retractions
D. Normal inspiratory sounds
ANSWER: C. Increased inspiratory effort with retractions
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,5. A team member is unable to perform an assigned task because it is
beyond the team member's scope of practice. Which action should the
team member take?
A. Ask for a new task or role
B. Refuse to perform the task
C. Do it anyway
D. Seek expert consultation
ANSWER: A. Ask for a new task or role
6. You are the team leader during a pediatric resuscitation attempt.
Which action is an element of high-quality CPR?
A. Providing a compression depth of one fourth the depth of the chest
B. Providing a compression rate of 80–100/min
C. Allowing complete chest wall recoil after each compression
D. Performing pulse checks every minute
ANSWER: C. Allowing complete chest wall recoil after each
compression
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, 7. An 8-year-old child with asthma and nut allergies develops difficulty
breathing after eating a cookie. Which condition is most likely
present?
A. Disordered control of breathing
B. Hypovolemic shock
C. Lung tissue disease
D. Upper airway obstruction
ANSWER: D. Upper airway obstruction
8. An 8-year-old child involved in an MVC. Which finding suggests
immediate intervention is needed?
A. Decreased level of consciousness
B. Systolic BP of 106 mm Hg
C. Temperature of 38.1°C (100.5°F)
D. Warm, moist skin
ANSWER: A. Decreased level of consciousness
9. A 6-year-old child is pulseless and apneic. Two rescuers are
performing CPR. What compression-to-ventilation ratio should be
used?
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2026/2027 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ALREADY GRADED A+
1. In which of the following situations may IO access be used?
A. An extremity with signs of infection
B. An extremity with signs of a crush injury
C. An extremity with a previous unsuccessful IO attempt
D. An extremity with slow capillary refill time
ANSWER: D. An extremity with slow capillary refill time
2. A 2-week-old infant is being evaluated for irritability and poor
feeding. His BP is 55/40 mm Hg, and capillary refill time is 5 seconds.
Which statement best describes your assessment of this infant's BP?
A. It represents compensated shock
B. It is hypertensive
C. It is hypotensive
D. It is normal
ANSWER: C. It is hypotensive
1|Page
,3. You are caring for patients in the emergency department. Which 2-
year-old child requires immediate intervention?
A. A child who is grunting
B. A child with an SpO₂ of 95% on room air
C. A child with a systolic BP of 92 mm Hg
D. A child with a temperature of 37.4°C (99.3°F)
ANSWER: A. A child who is grunting
4. A 3-year-old child is having difficulty breathing. Which finding
would most likely lead you to suspect an upper airway obstruction in
this child?
A. Expiratory breath sounds
B. Decreased expiratory effort
C. Increased inspiratory effort with retractions
D. Normal inspiratory sounds
ANSWER: C. Increased inspiratory effort with retractions
2|Page
,5. A team member is unable to perform an assigned task because it is
beyond the team member's scope of practice. Which action should the
team member take?
A. Ask for a new task or role
B. Refuse to perform the task
C. Do it anyway
D. Seek expert consultation
ANSWER: A. Ask for a new task or role
6. You are the team leader during a pediatric resuscitation attempt.
Which action is an element of high-quality CPR?
A. Providing a compression depth of one fourth the depth of the chest
B. Providing a compression rate of 80–100/min
C. Allowing complete chest wall recoil after each compression
D. Performing pulse checks every minute
ANSWER: C. Allowing complete chest wall recoil after each
compression
3|Page
, 7. An 8-year-old child with asthma and nut allergies develops difficulty
breathing after eating a cookie. Which condition is most likely
present?
A. Disordered control of breathing
B. Hypovolemic shock
C. Lung tissue disease
D. Upper airway obstruction
ANSWER: D. Upper airway obstruction
8. An 8-year-old child involved in an MVC. Which finding suggests
immediate intervention is needed?
A. Decreased level of consciousness
B. Systolic BP of 106 mm Hg
C. Temperature of 38.1°C (100.5°F)
D. Warm, moist skin
ANSWER: A. Decreased level of consciousness
9. A 6-year-old child is pulseless and apneic. Two rescuers are
performing CPR. What compression-to-ventilation ratio should be
used?
4|Page
