Final answer:
Hypoxia in pediatric patients can cause various signs and symptoms, including cyanosis, seizures, and difficulty breathing. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a condition where infants experience hypoxia when they stop breathing during sleep. In respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), premature infants have low blood oxygen levels due to insufficient production of pulmonary surfactant.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hypoxia is a condition characterized by low oxygen levels in the body. In pediatric patients, possible signs and symptoms of hypoxia include cherry-red skin, cyanosis, confusion, nausea, gasping for air, seizures prior to death, metabolic acidosis, temperature instability, apnea, bradycardia, hypotension, difficulty feeding, irritability, limpness, bulging fontanel, stiff neck, opisthotonos, hemiparesis, and edema of the ankles.
To give an example, in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), infants experience hypoxia when they stop breathing during sleep. Risk factors for SIDS include premature birth, smoking within the home, and hyperthermia. In respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), a disorder that primarily occurs in premature infants, insufficient production of pulmonary surfactant results in low blood oxygen levels, high blood carbon dioxide levels, and a high pH.