Question

A 3-year-old boy is eating with his brother in the other room when his mother hears coughing and choking. His brother reports that he had just eaten a handful of peanuts before the symptoms began. In the Emergency Room, the child has moderate respiratory distress with a respiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute and a saturation of 93% on room air. He is placed on oxygen by facemask with improvement in saturations to 96%. Faint expiratory wheezes are noted over the left lobe. The remainder of the examination is unremarkable. A chest radiograph is normal. Which of the following is indicated?

Administration of intramuscular epinephrine
Administration of nebulized albuterol
Emergent bronchoscopy
Endotracheal intubation

Answer 1

In this case, the indicated course of action would be administration of nebulized albuterol. Nebulized albuterol is a bronchodilator that can help relieve bronchospasm and improve respiratory symptoms in cases of allergic reactions or asthma.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this case, the 3-year-old boy is showing symptoms of respiratory distress after eating peanuts. He has moderate respiratory distress with a respiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute and a saturation of 93% on room air. His symptoms improve when he is placed on oxygen, indicating that he may be experiencing an allergic reaction to the peanuts, resulting in bronchospasm and wheezing.

Based on these findings, the indicated course of action would be administration of nebulized albuterol. Nebulized albuterol is a bronchodilator that can help relieve bronchospasm and improve respiratory symptoms in cases of allergic reactions or asthma. It is typically administered to patients with wheezing and respiratory distress.