A health professions student learns which facts about the pediatric differences in the respiratory system? (Select all that apply.)
A)An adult's chest wall compliance is lower than an infant's.
B)Increased resiliency makes infants more tolerant to respiratory problems.
C)Infants are obligatory nose breathers.
D)A baby is born with all the alveoli he or she will ever have.
E)Airway obstruction occurs sooner in infants than in older children.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

There are several age-related differences to consider when working with children. Chest wall compliance is higher in infants than it is in adults, particularly in premature infants. Immunological immaturity makes infants and small children more susceptible to infection. Until 2 to 3 months of age, infants are obligatory nose breathers which increases their risk for obstruction and poor gas exchange. A child grows and develops more alveoli until between 5 to 8 years of age. Airway obstruction does occur sooner in infants because an infant's airway is smaller in general and in any airway; resistance is proportional to the inverse of the fourth power of the radius; thus a decrease to half the original diameter increases resistance by 16-fold.

A Health Professions Student Learns Which Facts About the Pediatric