Clinical Practice Cases

Adopted from "Learn and Lives" of the 2006 American Heart Association (http://co.grand.co.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/608)

The purpose of the Practice Cases is to illustrate the systematic approach to patient assessment and application of the "evaluate-identify-intervene" model.

Please note that some of the case discussions contain information that is more advanced than the level of knowledge required for core PALS course completion. This information is included to illustrate the approach to patient assessment and intervention and to highlight the category of respiratory and circulatory conditions that may be encountered by a wide variety of PALS providers. 

As you read through each case, stop and try to answer the questions in each section before continuing to the next section. Check your answers by referring to the provided hidden model answers. Working through these questions will give you a deeper understanding of the approach to pediatric assessment and the significance of signs and symptoms in categorization and management.

If there are elements of the cases or annotated answers that you do not understand, refer to the PALS Provider Manual.