Summary:
Jennifer took her 4-month-old son, Jimmy, to see his primary care provider. Jennifer stated that Jimmy hadn’t been taking his formula very well. She said he had a cold with a slight cough over the past four days. This morning, the baby was coughing much harder and breathing very rapidly. Jimmy’s respirations were labored at a rate of 54/minute with chest retractions and flared nares. Auscultation revealed expiratory wheezing and fine crackles throughout all lung fields.
Respiratory symptoms are a primary reason parents seek healthcare for their children. A common causative agent of respiratory illness in infants and toddlers is respiratory syncytial virus. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children less than one year of age worldwide. RTs need to be aware of the clinical manifestations, assessment and patient care of a child with bronchiolitis.
Objectives:
The goal of this continuing education program is to update respiratory therapists’ (RTs’) knowledge of the clinical manifestations, assessment, and patient care of the child with bronchiolitis. After you study the information presented here, you will be able to —
- Describe the clinical manifestations of bronchiolitis in children and list the most common causes.
- Discuss the pathophysiology and diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis.
- Explain patient care, including family teaching, for the patient with RSV bronchiolitis.
Approval Information
This CE course is approved for respiratory therapists from 1/11/2012 to 1/11/2014.
This program has been approved for 1 contact hour of Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) credit by the American Association for Respiratory Care, 9425 N. MacArthur Blvd., Suite 100, Irving, TX 75063. AARC Sponsor ID: 9514012. This is a non-traditional course.
If you are a respiratory therapist, remember to give us your AARC member number when filling out your license number information.
Gannett Education is also approved by the Florida Board of Respiratory Care (provider #FBN 50-1489).