Paediatric Seizure (Responder) Scenario

What are your priorities?

You try to assess the child, but the mum won’t let go. You are struggling to assess the patients’ condition. What should you do?

You explain the importance of assessment so that you can give appropriate treatment. The mum understands and lays the child on the couch. You confirm the child isn’t in cardiac arrest, they are breathing but are blue around the lips. What is this an indication of?

With children, you must have a high index of suspicion regarding what when it comes to airway?

You complete a good review of the airway and can see no obstructions. You assess breathing and confirm an adequate and effective respiratory rate of around 40. What management should you conduct?

You apply O2 to the patient and colour starts to come back to the patients’ lips. You continue your assessment while asking mum for the full story of events. As you assess the patient, you note that they are very hot to touch and are wrapped in multiple layers. As mum starts explaining, the patient goes into a tonic clonic seizure. Mum starts screaming, ‘she’s doing it again.’ What should you do?

You time the seizure and after 40 seconds it stops. You start reassessing, assisting with airway as the patient comes around. You are aware of how hot the child feels and that they have multiple layers on. Should you look to remove them?

You ask mum in assisting to remove multiple layers of clothing. As you expose the skin, you see a red and raised rash across the child’s chest and legs. The mum looks worriedly and asks is that meningitis. What description of rash is meningitis typically described as?

What test can be used on a rash to help with the confirmation of meningitis? 

You hear the ambulance pulling up outside the property. You have a negative tumbler test, and you calm the mum by explaining you think it is a heat rash, but they will have to confirm in hospital. The crew walk in and you handover to them. The child is a lot more alert now and has no evidence of cyanosis. The crew ask if any paracetamol has been given to the child by the mum. Can parents give paracetamol for a child who is unwell and has a fever?