Week 3 Peds Notes
Immunizations & Communicable Diseases,Cardiac Anomalies & Dysfunction, & Illness &
Hospitalization
● Immunizations:
- Always refer to the CDC for updated information and to provide education to patients
and their families
- Vaccines have same antigen as disease, but it’s weaker or killed
- Memory cells help to protect from future exposure
- Active immunity
- Antibody production stimulated by vaccine antigens without causing clinical disease
- Passive immunity
- Antibodies produced in another host (human or animal) given when child needs
antibodies faster than the body can make them
- Includes immune globulins
- Does not confer lasting immunity
- Children will need vaccines in future
● Complications, Contraindications/Precautions
- If anaphylactic reaction, no more doses of the specific vaccine and any vaccine
containing the causing agent
- Contraindicated if causing severe allergies
- Hold vaccines if the patient is febrile, or has a moderate to severe illness until symptoms
resolve
- Other causes determined by HCP and risk vs benefit in case-to-case circumstances
● Nursing Administration Considerations
- Obtain consent
- Document date, route, site of immunization, lot number, expiration date
- Provide atraumatic care, and age appropriate play/distractions, topical anesthetic
- Be prepared for emergencies
- Provide documentation/record for parents
, - Education on what to watch for after administration, avoid aspirin use (why?)
- Report adverse reactions to Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
● Communicable Diseases
- Transmitted contact, droplet, airborne
- Can be prevented with immunizations
- And PPE in in-patient settings!
- Risk factors
- Immunocompromised, poor nutrition, circulation
- Environmental
- Chronic illness
- Recent exposure
- Not immunized or UTD
● Nursing Care and Management
- Isolate (prevent spread)
- Antipyretics, analgesics
- Skin care if applicable
- Play, rest, ambient environment
- Medications (ensure compliance!)
- Antihistamines
- Antibiotics, antivirals
- NSAIDs or acetaminophen
- Education on preventing the spread of infection, red flags, and documentation on when to
return to normal activity/school
● COVID-19 in Children
- COVID-19 is a new disease caused by a novel human coronavirus that has not been
previously seen in humans
- Symptoms ranged from asymptomatic to critical
- The emergence of a life-threatening multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) across
the United States is seen in children and causes damage to multiple organ systems.
- Supportive care measures
- VACCINATE
● Sepsis and Septic Shock
- Sepsis or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)
- Infection in the bloodstream
- Group B strep
- E. coli
- Staph
- H. influenzae
● At risk
- Burns
- Multiple surgeries
- Invasive catheters
- Compromised immune system
- Long-term antibiotics
Immunizations & Communicable Diseases,Cardiac Anomalies & Dysfunction, & Illness &
Hospitalization
● Immunizations:
- Always refer to the CDC for updated information and to provide education to patients
and their families
- Vaccines have same antigen as disease, but it’s weaker or killed
- Memory cells help to protect from future exposure
- Active immunity
- Antibody production stimulated by vaccine antigens without causing clinical disease
- Passive immunity
- Antibodies produced in another host (human or animal) given when child needs
antibodies faster than the body can make them
- Includes immune globulins
- Does not confer lasting immunity
- Children will need vaccines in future
● Complications, Contraindications/Precautions
- If anaphylactic reaction, no more doses of the specific vaccine and any vaccine
containing the causing agent
- Contraindicated if causing severe allergies
- Hold vaccines if the patient is febrile, or has a moderate to severe illness until symptoms
resolve
- Other causes determined by HCP and risk vs benefit in case-to-case circumstances
● Nursing Administration Considerations
- Obtain consent
- Document date, route, site of immunization, lot number, expiration date
- Provide atraumatic care, and age appropriate play/distractions, topical anesthetic
- Be prepared for emergencies
- Provide documentation/record for parents
, - Education on what to watch for after administration, avoid aspirin use (why?)
- Report adverse reactions to Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
● Communicable Diseases
- Transmitted contact, droplet, airborne
- Can be prevented with immunizations
- And PPE in in-patient settings!
- Risk factors
- Immunocompromised, poor nutrition, circulation
- Environmental
- Chronic illness
- Recent exposure
- Not immunized or UTD
● Nursing Care and Management
- Isolate (prevent spread)
- Antipyretics, analgesics
- Skin care if applicable
- Play, rest, ambient environment
- Medications (ensure compliance!)
- Antihistamines
- Antibiotics, antivirals
- NSAIDs or acetaminophen
- Education on preventing the spread of infection, red flags, and documentation on when to
return to normal activity/school
● COVID-19 in Children
- COVID-19 is a new disease caused by a novel human coronavirus that has not been
previously seen in humans
- Symptoms ranged from asymptomatic to critical
- The emergence of a life-threatening multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) across
the United States is seen in children and causes damage to multiple organ systems.
- Supportive care measures
- VACCINATE
● Sepsis and Septic Shock
- Sepsis or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)
- Infection in the bloodstream
- Group B strep
- E. coli
- Staph
- H. influenzae
● At risk
- Burns
- Multiple surgeries
- Invasive catheters
- Compromised immune system
- Long-term antibiotics
