An infant who weighs 22 lbs. receives a prescription for amoxicillin 20 mg/kg/day PO in divided doses every 8 hours. The bottle is labeled, "Amoxicillin for Oral Suspension, USP 250 mg per 5 mL." How many mL should the nurse administer with each dose? (Enter numerical value only. If rounding is necessary, round to the nearest tenth.)

Rationale for Correct Choices:

• Sickle cell crisis: The infant’s pallor, edema in hands and feet, irritability, poor feeding, decreased urine output, and recent infection align with a vaso-occlusive episode typical in sickle cell disease.

•IV and oral fluids decrease blood viscosity and improve circulation, which is essential to prevent worsening of vaso-occlusion and associated pain.

• As able, elevate extremities: Elevating affected extremities promotes venous return, reduces swelling, and alleviates discomfort during the crisis.

• Intake and output: Monitoring fluid balance is critical to detect dehydration or renal compromise, which are risks in sickle cell crises due to reduced perfusion and poor intake.

• White blood cell count: WBC monitoring helps detect infection, which can trigger or worsen a sickle cell crisis, and assesses the body’s inflammatory response during the acute event.

Rationale for Incorrect Choices:

• Leukemia: While leukemia can present with pallor and fatigue, the acute swelling of hands and feet, irritability, and trigger by recent infection are more characteristic of sickle cell crisis rather than leukemia.

• Pneumonia: Adventitious lung sounds are noted, but the primary presenting signs (pallor, extremity edema, decreased urine output, pain) are more consistent with sickle cell crisis; pneumonia alone would not explain extremity edema.

• Potential Condition: Stroke: Stroke in infants may cause focal neurological deficits or asymmetric movement, but this infant shows generalized extremity involvement without focal weakness, making stroke less likely.

• Initiate sliding scale insulin: There is no evidence of hyperglycemia requiring insulin; blood glucose monitoring is not indicated for the acute presentation.

• Cool the environment: Cooling can worsen vasoconstriction and precipitate a sickle cell crisis; it is contraindicated in vaso-occlusive episodes.

• Begin bilirubin light therapy: The infant does not present with jaundice or hyperbilirubinemia; phototherapy is not indicated.

• Blood glucose: There is no indication of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia contributing to this presentation, so monitoring glucose is not priority.

• Clotting times: There is no evidence of coagulopathy or bleeding disorder in this scenario; monitoring clotting times is unnecessary.

• Bilirubin: The infant has no jaundice or lab evidence of hyperbilirubinemia, making bilirubin monitoring nonessential.

A. Refer the caregiver to an audiologist: Referral to an audiologist is indicated if there are concerns about hearing loss, not for normal anatomical variations of the eustachian tubes.

B. Explain to the caregiver this is a normal finding: In toddlers, the eustachian tubes are naturally shorter and more horizontal, which predisposes them to ear infections. Educating the caregiver about this normal anatomy helps them understand the cause without unnecessary concern.

C. Discuss the importance of prophylactic antibiotics: Routine prophylactic antibiotics are not recommended for preventing recurrent ear infections due to normal eustachian tube anatomy, as overuse can lead to resistance.

D. Schedule the toddler for a tympanostomy procedure: Tympanostomy tubes are only considered for children with recurrent or persistent otitis media with effusion causing hearing loss or complications, not for normal anatomical predisposition alone.