Final answer:
A 9-year-old boy with swelling around his lips and eyes and trouble breathing likely has anaphylaxis due to a peanut allergy. Administering epinephrine is the recommended course of action to control the immune reaction, increase blood pressure, improve breathing, and reduce swelling in the airways.
Step-by-step explanation:
A 9-year-old boy with swelling around his lips and eyes and difficulty breathing likely has an allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. Based on the symptoms and the known peanut allergy, the correct course of action is to administer epinephrine.
Epinephrine helps to control the immune reaction by constricting blood vessels to increase blood pressure, relaxing smooth muscles in the lungs to improve breathing, and reducing swelling that may block the airways. It is a life-saving treatment for anaphylaxis.
If the boy carries an epinephrine autoinjector, he should be instructed to use it immediately while seeking medical attention.