PEDS NURSING STUDY GUIDE 2025/2026 QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔How do you diagnose bacterial meningitis? - ✔✔spinal tap (lumbar puncture)
✔✔What therapeutic interventions help bacterial meningitis? - ✔✔Maintain isolation
precautions
Antimicrobial therapy
Maintain hydration, shock maintenance, and ventilation
Control seizures and temperature
✔✔What usually causes non-bacterial meningitis? - ✔✔Viruses
✔✔What diseases is non-bacterial meningitis commonly associated with? - ✔✔Measles,
mumps, leukemia, herpes
✔✔What is the onset of non-bacterial meningitis? - ✔✔abrupt or gradual
✔✔What is encephalitis? - ✔✔Inflammatory process of CNS with altered brain and
spinal cord function
✔✔What is the common causative agent of encephalitis? - ✔✔Viruses
Vector reservoir --> ticks and mosquitoes
✔✔What are symptoms of encephalitis? - ✔✔Malaise, fever, headache, dizziness
Stiff neck
Nausea/vomiting
Ataxia (cannot control body movements)
Speech difficulties
✔✔What are symptoms of severe encephalitis? - ✔✔High fever
stupor/seizures
ocular palsies
paralysis
coma
✔✔What is Reye's syndrome? Characteristic of this? - ✔✔toxic encephalopathy
associated with various organs
Disordered hepatic function
✔✔True or false: all seizures have the same site of origin - ✔✔False, seizures are
based on site of origin
✔✔How is epilepsy defined? - ✔✔two or more unprovoked seizures
, ✔✔What are the 4 types of seizures? What are each associated with? - ✔✔Acute
symptomatic (head trauma/meningitis)
Remote symptomatic (stroke/encephalitis)
Cryptogenic (no clear cause)
Idiopathic (genetic in origin)
✔✔What diet is commonly used for patients with seizures? - ✔✔Ketogenic diet --> must
follow it strictly
✔✔What are the 3 classifications of seizures? - ✔✔1: Partial: local onset involving small
location on brain
2: Generalized: no local onset involving both hemispheres of the brain
3: Unclassified
✔✔What are absence seizures and at what age do they occur? - ✔✔brief loss of
consciousness, no change in muscle tone
4-12 years old but easily undiagnosed
✔✔What are atonic seizures and at what age do they occur? - ✔✔Sudden loss of
muscle tone with or without loss of consciousness
- can suddenly fall onto ground or head just droops forward (when less severe)
2-5 years old
✔✔What are myoclonic seizures? - ✔✔Sudden brief contraction of muscles without loss
of consciousness
May be single or repetitive
Often occur when falling asleep
easily misdiagnosed as exaggerated startle reflex
✔✔What are infantile spasms associated with and at what age do they occur? -
✔✔Associated with cognitive impairment
6-8 months of life
may resolve on it's own, may need treatment then resolve, may be permanent
✔✔Who and what age do febrile seizures occur in? - ✔✔Twice as often in males,never
seen after 5 years old
6 months - 3 years old
✔✔What causes hydrocephalus? - ✔✔Imbalance in the production and absorption of
CSF
Result of developmental abnormalities
✔✔When does hydrocephalus usually appear? - ✔✔early infancy
WITH ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔How do you diagnose bacterial meningitis? - ✔✔spinal tap (lumbar puncture)
✔✔What therapeutic interventions help bacterial meningitis? - ✔✔Maintain isolation
precautions
Antimicrobial therapy
Maintain hydration, shock maintenance, and ventilation
Control seizures and temperature
✔✔What usually causes non-bacterial meningitis? - ✔✔Viruses
✔✔What diseases is non-bacterial meningitis commonly associated with? - ✔✔Measles,
mumps, leukemia, herpes
✔✔What is the onset of non-bacterial meningitis? - ✔✔abrupt or gradual
✔✔What is encephalitis? - ✔✔Inflammatory process of CNS with altered brain and
spinal cord function
✔✔What is the common causative agent of encephalitis? - ✔✔Viruses
Vector reservoir --> ticks and mosquitoes
✔✔What are symptoms of encephalitis? - ✔✔Malaise, fever, headache, dizziness
Stiff neck
Nausea/vomiting
Ataxia (cannot control body movements)
Speech difficulties
✔✔What are symptoms of severe encephalitis? - ✔✔High fever
stupor/seizures
ocular palsies
paralysis
coma
✔✔What is Reye's syndrome? Characteristic of this? - ✔✔toxic encephalopathy
associated with various organs
Disordered hepatic function
✔✔True or false: all seizures have the same site of origin - ✔✔False, seizures are
based on site of origin
✔✔How is epilepsy defined? - ✔✔two or more unprovoked seizures
, ✔✔What are the 4 types of seizures? What are each associated with? - ✔✔Acute
symptomatic (head trauma/meningitis)
Remote symptomatic (stroke/encephalitis)
Cryptogenic (no clear cause)
Idiopathic (genetic in origin)
✔✔What diet is commonly used for patients with seizures? - ✔✔Ketogenic diet --> must
follow it strictly
✔✔What are the 3 classifications of seizures? - ✔✔1: Partial: local onset involving small
location on brain
2: Generalized: no local onset involving both hemispheres of the brain
3: Unclassified
✔✔What are absence seizures and at what age do they occur? - ✔✔brief loss of
consciousness, no change in muscle tone
4-12 years old but easily undiagnosed
✔✔What are atonic seizures and at what age do they occur? - ✔✔Sudden loss of
muscle tone with or without loss of consciousness
- can suddenly fall onto ground or head just droops forward (when less severe)
2-5 years old
✔✔What are myoclonic seizures? - ✔✔Sudden brief contraction of muscles without loss
of consciousness
May be single or repetitive
Often occur when falling asleep
easily misdiagnosed as exaggerated startle reflex
✔✔What are infantile spasms associated with and at what age do they occur? -
✔✔Associated with cognitive impairment
6-8 months of life
may resolve on it's own, may need treatment then resolve, may be permanent
✔✔Who and what age do febrile seizures occur in? - ✔✔Twice as often in males,never
seen after 5 years old
6 months - 3 years old
✔✔What causes hydrocephalus? - ✔✔Imbalance in the production and absorption of
CSF
Result of developmental abnormalities
✔✔When does hydrocephalus usually appear? - ✔✔early infancy
