AOBP Pediatrics key terms

A rapid 0-10 assessment done at 1 and 5 minutes after birth scoring heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color. It guides resuscitation decisions rather than predicting long-term outcome.

A standardized sequence of warming, positioning, drying, stimulation, airway clearance, and positive-pressure ventilation used for newborns needing support at delivery, with chest compressions and medications added if the heart rate stays low.

Neonatal lung disease caused by surfactant deficiency, producing tachypnea, grunting, retractions, and hypoxemia soon after birth, most often in premature infants. Chest imaging shows low lung volumes with a ground-glass pattern.

Instillation of exogenous surfactant into the trachea of a premature infant with respiratory distress syndrome to lower surface tension, improve lung compliance, and reduce the need for high ventilator pressures.

Delivery of pressurized gas through nasal prongs or a mask to keep the airways and alveoli open during exhalation. In newborns it supports breathing in respiratory distress syndrome without requiring endotracheal intubation.

Respiratory illness in a newborn who inhaled meconium-stained amniotic fluid, causing airway obstruction, chemical pneumonitis, and sometimes persistent pulmonary hypertension. Affected infants may need suctioning, oxygen, and ventilatory support.

Failure of the pulmonary vascular resistance to fall after birth, so blood continues to shunt away from the lungs and the infant stays hypoxemic despite supplemental oxygen. It is often associated with meconium aspiration or asphyxia.

Yellow discoloration of skin and sclera from elevated unconjugated bilirubin in the first weeks of life. It is common and usually benign but requires monitoring because severe levels can cause kernicterus.

A mild, self-limited rise in unconjugated bilirubin that appears after the first 24 hours of life, peaks around days 3 to 5, and resolves without treatment as the immature liver matures and feeding becomes established.

Treatment that exposes an infant's skin to specific wavelengths of blue-green light, converting bilirubin into water-soluble forms that can be excreted without conjugation by the liver. It reduces the need for exchange transfusion.

A normal decline in hemoglobin during the first few months of life as red cell production slows and blood volume expands with growth. Levels nadir around 2 to 3 months and then rise spontaneously.

A newborn whose birth weight is below the 10th percentile for gestational age, reflecting restricted growth in utero. These infants are at risk for hypoglycemia, hypothermia, and polycythemia after delivery.

A newborn whose birth weight exceeds the 90th percentile for gestational age, often related to maternal diabetes or genetics. These infants face risks of birth trauma, hypoglycemia, and later childhood obesity.

Abnormally low blood glucose in a newborn, which may present with jitteriness, poor feeding, lethargy, or seizures but is often asymptomatic. Screening and early feeding or intravenous glucose prevent neurologic injury.

Permanent neurologic damage from bilirubin deposition in the basal ganglia and brainstem of a newborn with severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. It causes hearing loss, movement disorders, and developmental delay.

A scheduled preventive health appointment for a child that includes growth measurement, developmental surveillance, physical examination, immunization review, and anticipatory guidance tailored to the child's age.

Age-specific skills a child is expected to acquire in motor, language, cognitive, and social domains. Tracking them helps clinicians detect delays and decide when early intervention is warranted.

A standardized screening tool comparing a child's personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, language, and gross motor skills against age norms. Results flag children who need more detailed developmental evaluation.

Proactive counseling given to caregivers about what to expect at each stage of childhood, covering safety, nutrition, sleep, behavior, and injury prevention. It is a core component of preventive pediatric visits.

The recommended timeline of vaccines given from infancy through adolescence, specifying ages, doses, and catch-up rules. It is updated regularly by national advisory committees based on current epidemiology.

Inadequate physical growth in a child, shown by weight or height falling across percentile lines over time. Causes include inadequate intake, malabsorption, and chronic illness, and evaluation focuses on nutrition and underlying disease.

An acute vasculitis of young children causing prolonged fever, conjunctivitis, rash, oral changes, cervical lymphadenopathy, and extremity changes. Coronary artery aneurysms are the major complication, so prompt treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin is essential.

A pooled antibody product given to modulate immune responses in conditions such as Kawasaki disease and immune thrombocytopenia, and to replace antibodies in immunodeficiency. It shortens fever and lowers coronary aneurysm risk in Kawasaki disease.

A convulsion associated with fever in a child typically aged 6 months to 5 years, without evidence of intracranial infection or prior afebrile seizures. Most are brief and do not require long-term anticonvulsant therapy.

A viral lower respiratory infection of infants, most often from respiratory syncytial virus, producing wheezing, crackles, tachypnea, and feeding difficulty. Management is supportive with hydration and oxygen.

Viral inflammation of the larynx and subglottis in young children causing a barking cough, hoarse voice, and inspiratory stridor. Mild cases respond to humidified air and a single dose of corticosteroid.

A rapidly progressive bacterial infection of the epiglottis that causes high fever, drooling, muffled voice, and severe stridor with tripod positioning. The airway must be secured by skilled staff before any throat examination.

Passive immunization with a monoclonal antibody given to high-risk infants during RSV season to reduce severe lower respiratory tract disease and hospitalization. It does not prevent all infections.

The typical progression of allergic disease in childhood from atopic dermatitis in infancy to allergic rhinitis and asthma in later years. Recognizing the pattern helps clinicians anticipate and address future allergic conditions.

A chronic relapsing itchy inflammatory skin disease that begins in infancy, often on the face and extensor surfaces, and later favors flexural creases. Skin barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation both contribute.

An adverse immune response to a food protein, ranging from hives and vomiting to anaphylaxis. Diagnosis relies on history plus testing such as skin prick or specific IgE, with oral food challenge as the reference standard.

A severe, rapidly developing systemic hypersensitivity reaction involving airway, breathing, or circulation, often with skin and gastrointestinal symptoms. Intramuscular epinephrine is the first-line treatment and should not be delayed.

A prefilled device delivering a fixed intramuscular dose of epinephrine into the outer thigh for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis. Patients at risk are prescribed one and taught to use it promptly.

IgE-mediated inflammation of the nasal mucosa triggered by airborne allergens, causing sneezing, clear rhinorrhea, nasal itching, and congestion. It often coexists with asthma and conjunctivitis.

A chronic inflammatory airway disorder causing recurrent wheezing, cough, chest tightness, and variable airflow obstruction that improves with bronchodilators. Management uses inhaled corticosteroids for control and short-acting beta agonists for relief.

An inherited disorder of the immune system that causes unusually frequent, severe, or unusual infections, often beginning in infancy. Diagnosis guides immunoglobulin replacement and avoidance of live vaccines.

A mild traumatic brain injury from a blow or jolt to the head that causes temporary neurologic symptoms such as headache, confusion, dizziness, or imbalance. Management is physical and cognitive rest followed by graded return to activity.

A stepwise progression of increasing physical activity after a sports injury or concussion, advancing only if symptoms remain absent at each stage. It reduces the risk of reinjury and prolonged recovery.

Rapid, often fatal brain swelling that occurs when a child sustains a second head injury before symptoms of an earlier concussion have resolved. Preventing premature return to sport is the key safeguard.

Narrowing of the airways triggered by vigorous exercise, especially in cold dry air, causing cough, wheeze, or chest tightness during or after activity. A pre-exercise bronchodilator is often used for prevention.

Traction apophysitis of the tibial tubercle in growing adolescents, causing anterior knee pain that worsens with running and jumping and improves with rest. It is self-limited once growth plates close.

Inflammation at a growth plate where a tendon inserts, caused by repetitive traction in a growing child. Common sites include the tibial tubercle and calcaneus, and treatment centers on activity modification and stretching.

An impaired or altered function of related components of the somatic system, including skeletal, arthrodial, and myofascial structures and their vascular, lymphatic, and neural elements. It is identified by tenderness, asymmetry, restricted motion, and tissue texture change.

A systematic hands-on assessment of the musculoskeletal system for asymmetry, restriction of motion, tissue texture abnormality, and tenderness, interpreted alongside the regional and systemic findings of the standard examination.

A reflex in which dysfunction of an internal organ produces altered tone, tenderness, or restricted motion in the somatic tissues that share spinal cord innervation with that organ. It is used as an adjunctive diagnostic clue.

An osteopathic manipulative technique in which the patient voluntarily contracts a muscle in a specific direction against a counterforce from the physician, using gentle isometric or isotonic effort to improve motion and reduce restriction.

A gentle osteopathic approach that applies light touch to the bones and membranes of the skull and sacrum to assess and address motion restrictions. Evidence for its use in infants is limited and it should complement, not replace, standard care.