Final answer:
When a child has no normal breathing but has a pulse, immediate medical intervention is required. Normal respiratory rates vary with age, and any deviation could signal an underlying condition. Interventions based on Apgar criteria are critical for newborns.
Step-by-step explanation:
When pediatric patients exhibit no normal breathing but a pulse is still felt, it indicates that the child is not receiving sufficient oxygen, which is a medical emergency. In infants and children with a detectable pulse but no effective breathing, immediate interventions, such as providing rescue breaths or ventilation, are critical. Pediatric patients, as with the case of Olivia described, can rapidly deteriorate, thus swift action is necessary, especially if symptoms like excessive crying, irritability, sensitivity to light, unusual lethargy, and vomiting are present, as well as a swollen area over the spleen.
Different respiratory rates are normal at various ages. For instance, a child under 1 year of age has a normal respiratory rate between 30 and 60 breaths per minute, but by the time they are about 10 years old, the normal rate is closer to 18 to 30. Factors such as infection, the presence of fever, or other underlying medical conditions like Benjamin's case, who was immunocompromised due to chemotherapy, can significantly alter these normal ranges. It's also important to consider Apgar criteria for newborns, where heart rate and respiration are decisive for the infant's condition.