RESP Paediatrics - Prelearning

Assessment and Treatment of the Child with Life-Threatening Illness

RESP Paediatrics - Prelearning

Latest Course update: January 2025

Managing the seriously ill child can be one of the most frightening and distressing experiences for the clinician. There are many challenges to assessing and treating the child presenting with serious illness, including recognising the early signs of serious illness, lack of a detailed history and examination, issues relating to patient cooperation, procedural difficulties (eg. obtaining IV access), and physiological challenges (eg. masking of signs of severe illness and risk for rapid deterioration). In this course, we explore the immediate assessment and treatment of the seriously ill child, and examine the clinical presentation and acute management of life-threatening diseases in children.

The prelearning explores the following topics:

1. Paediatric Basic and Advanced Life Support

2. Red Flags for Serious Illness

3. Approach to the Seriously Ill Child

4. Airway: Acute Anaphylaxis

5. Breathing: Acute Respiratory Distress and Life Threatening Asthma

6. Circulation: Paediatric Vomiting and Dehydration

7. Disability: The Fitting Child

8. Exposure: The Febrile Neonate

9. Newborn Advanced Life Support