The nurse is caring for a child who weighs 75 lb. The medication ordered for the child has a therapeutic dosage range of 33 mg/kg per day to 48 mg/kg per day. The medication ordered is to be given 4 times per day. Which dosages would be appropriate for the nurse to administer to this child in one dose?

Choice A reason: Intravenous administration isn’t inherently safer, as it carries risks like infection or extravasation. Less trauma from fewer injections is accurate, making this incorrect, as it overstates safety compared to the true benefit of reduced physical and emotional trauma in pediatric IV medication delivery.

Choice B reason: Intravenous medication reduces the need for multiple injections, minimizing physical and emotional trauma for children. This aligns with pediatric nursing principles for patient comfort, making it the correct statement about the advantage of IV administration compared to repeated intramuscular or subcutaneous injections.

Choice C reason: IV medications are absorbed rapidly, not slowly, due to direct bloodstream delivery. Less trauma from fewer injections is the true benefit, making this incorrect, as it misrepresents the pharmacokinetics of intravenous administration in the context of pediatric medication delivery.

Choice D reason: IV medication is delivered into veins, not fatty tissue, which describes subcutaneous injections. Reduced trauma from fewer injections is accurate, making this incorrect, as it confuses IV administration with another route in the nurse’s understanding of medication delivery methods.

Choice A reason: At birth, the infant’s right and left ventricles are nearly equal in size due to fetal circulation demands. This aligns with pediatric cardiology, making it the correct statement demonstrating understanding of the newborn’s cardiovascular system as discussed in the nurses’ review session.

Choice B reason: The heart matures earlier, with adult-like function by early childhood, not 8-10 years. Equal ventricle size at birth is accurate, making this incorrect, as it overestimates the timeline for cardiovascular maturation in the nurse’s understanding of the child’s heart development.

Choice C reason: Heart rate typically increases with fever in children, not decreases, due to metabolic demands. Equal ventricle size at birth is correct, making this inaccurate and incorrect compared to the true statement about the infant’s cardiovascular system in the nurses’ review.

Choice D reason: The left ventricle grows slightly larger but not twice the right’s size by 5-6 years. Equal ventricles at birth is accurate, making this incorrect, as it exaggerates ventricular growth in the nurse’s understanding of the child’s cardiovascular system development.