Question

You receive a call to a residence for an apneic 2-month-old male. When you arrive at the scene, the infant's mother tells you that her son was born prematurely and that his apnea monitor has alarmed four times in the past 30 minutes. Your assessment of the infant reveals that he is conscious and active. His skin is pink and dry, and he is breathing at an adequate rate and with adequate tidal depth. His oxygen saturation reads 98. What should you do?

1) Request an ALS ambulance to transport the infant to the hospital.
2) Advise the mother to observe her son and call 9-1-1 again if necessary.
3) Administer high-flow oxygen and observe for a drop in oxygen saturation.
4) Transport the infant to the hospital and bring the apnea monitor with you.

Answer 1

Based on the assessment of the infant, advising the mother to observe the baby and call 9-1-1 again if necessary is the best course of action.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this scenario, the apneic 2-month-old male appears to be conscious, active, and breathing adequately with a normal oxygen saturation level of 98. Based on this assessment, the best course of action would be to advise the mother to observe her son and call 9-1-1 again if necessary (Option 2). Since the infant is currently in a stable condition, administering high-flow oxygen (Option 3) or requesting an ALS ambulance for transport (Option 1) would be unnecessary. Additionally, there is no indication to transport the infant to the hospital immediately (Option 4).