Responding to pediatric trauma

Pediatric trauma care can seem daunting even to seasoned critical care nurses, if they have not worked frequently with young patients. Children differ from adults in significant anatomic and physiologic ways and require equipment, supplies, and medication dosages carefully tailored to their body size and weight. This article gives nurses a solid foundation in pediatric care by reviewing the differences between adult and child patients as well as the shared priorities involved in pediatric and adult trauma care.