PGIM MD Paediatrics 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 colour; it guides resuscitation needs rather than predicting long-term outcome.

The structured sequence of warming, airway positioning, stimulation, positive-pressure ventilation and, if needed, chest compressions and drugs used to support a newborn who does not breathe adequately at delivery.

Unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia appearing after the first 24 hours of life in an otherwise well newborn, reflecting immature hepatic conjugation and increased red cell turnover; it resolves without treatment but must be monitored.

Irreversible brain injury from bilirubin deposition in the basal ganglia and brainstem of a jaundiced newborn, causing lethargy, abnormal tone, hearing loss and choreoathetoid cerebral palsy.

A double-volume replacement of the neonate's blood with donor blood, used for severe hyperbilirubinaemia or anaemia to remove bilirubin and antibodies while correcting anaemia.

Anaemia and jaundice in a fetus or newborn caused by maternal IgG antibodies, usually anti-RhD or anti-Kell, destroying fetal red cells after crossing the placenta.

Abnormal accumulation of fluid in at least two fetal compartments, such as ascites, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion or skin oedema, from immune or non-immune causes including anaemia, infection and cardiac failure.

Delivery before 37 completed weeks of gestation; the earlier the birth, the greater the risk of respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular haemorrhage, necrotising enterocolitis, infection and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment.

Neonatal respiratory failure from surfactant deficiency, typically in preterm infants, producing tachypnoea, grunting, recessions and hypoxia with a ground-glass chest radiograph and air bronchograms.

Instillation of exogenous surfactant into the trachea of a ventilated or intubated newborn to lower alveolar surface tension, improving lung compliance and oxygenation in respiratory distress syndrome.

Non-invasive respiratory support that delivers a steady distending pressure through nasal prongs or a mask, keeping alveoli open and reducing the work of breathing in preterm or distressed infants.

Chronic lung disease of prematurity defined by ongoing oxygen requirement at 36 weeks postmenstrual age, resulting from arrested alveolar development and injury from ventilation, oxygen and inflammation.

Acquired inflammatory necrosis of the immature bowel, mostly in preterm infants, presenting with feeding intolerance, abdominal distension, bloody stools and pneumatosis intestinalis on radiography.

Fetal passage of meconium into amniotic fluid with subsequent inhalation, causing airway obstruction, chemical pneumonitis and persistent pulmonary hypertension in term or post-term newborns.

Failure of the pulmonary vascular resistance to fall after birth, so blood shunts right-to-left through the ductus arteriosus and foramen ovale, producing refractory hypoxaemia in a newborn.

Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection; in children it presents with fever or hypothermia, tachycardia, poor perfusion and altered mental state, and needs urgent antibiotics.

Inflammation of the meninges, usually infective, causing fever, headache, neck stiffness, photophobia and, in infants, irritability or a bulging fontanelle; diagnosis requires lumbar puncture.

A seizure occurring with fever in a child aged 6 months to 5 years without intracranial infection or previous afebrile seizures; simple attacks are generalised and last under 15 minutes.

A continuous seizure lasting 5 minutes or more, or repeated seizures without recovery of consciousness between them, requiring immediate benzodiazepine and then second-line anticonvulsant treatment.

A disorder of the brain defined by at least two unprovoked seizures more than 24 hours apart, or one unprovoked seizure with high recurrence risk, or a recognised epilepsy syndrome.

An early-onset epileptic encephalopathy with clusters of brief flexor or extensor spasms in infancy and a hypsarrhythmic electroencephalogram; it causes developmental regression and needs prompt treatment.

A skill such as sitting, walking or using words that most children acquire by a predictable age range; persistent delay in one or more domains warrants developmental assessment.

A permanent non-progressive disorder of movement and posture caused by injury to the developing brain, classified by motor type and limb distribution and often accompanied by sensory, cognitive or feeding difficulties.

Structural malformation of the heart or great vessels present at birth, ranging from asymptomatic murmurs to duct-dependent cyanotic lesions that present with shock when the ductus closes.

A sudden episode of worsening cyanosis and hyperpnoea in a child with a right-to-left shunt, typically tetralogy of Fallot, triggered by crying or feeding and relieved by calming and knee-chest positioning.

Ultrasound imaging of the heart that shows chamber anatomy, valve function, shunt direction and ventricular performance; it is the first-line investigation for suspected congenital or acquired heart disease.

An acute medium-vessel vasculitis of young children causing prolonged fever, conjunctivitis, rash, mucosal changes, limb swelling and cervical lymphadenopathy, with risk of coronary artery aneurysms.

Pooled human antibodies given intravenously to modulate immune responses, used in Kawasaki disease to reduce coronary aneurysm risk and in immune thrombocytopenia and some neuropathies.

A glomerular disorder defined by heavy proteinuria, hypoalbuminaemia, oedema and hyperlipidaemia; most childhood cases are steroid-responsive minimal change disease.

An abrupt fall in glomerular filtration rate over hours to days, shown by rising creatinine or reduced urine output, classified as pre-renal, renal or post-renal in origin.

A thrombotic microangiopathy causing the triad of microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and acute kidney injury, most often after Shiga toxin-producing E. coli diarrhoea.

Inadequate weight gain or growth in a child, shown by falling across centile lines on growth charts, caused by inadequate intake, malabsorption or increased metabolic demand.

A plotted reference of weight, length or height and head circumference against age, used to detect faltering growth, obesity and disproportionate body proportions in children.

Height below the third centile or more than two standard deviations below the mean for age and sex, requiring assessment of growth velocity, bone age and possible endocrine or syndromic causes.

An immune-mediated enteropathy triggered by dietary gluten, causing villous atrophy with diarrhoea, failure to thrive and anaemia; serology and duodenal biopsy confirm the diagnosis.

An autosomal recessive disorder of chloride transport causing thick secretions, leading to recurrent chest infection, bronchiectasis, pancreatic insufficiency and elevated sweat chloride.

A population programme that tests heel-prick blood spots in the first days of life for treatable conditions such as congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease.

Thyroid hormone deficiency present from birth, often from thyroid dysgenesis, causing prolonged jaundice, constipation, poor feeding and later intellectual disability unless treatment starts early.

A severe, rapidly evolving systemic hypersensitivity reaction with airway swelling, bronchospasm or hypotension; intramuscular adrenaline is the immediate treatment, followed by observation for biphasic reactions.

A prefilled device delivering a fixed intramuscular adrenaline dose into the thigh, prescribed for children at risk of anaphylaxis and carried for immediate self-administration or use by carers.

Chronic airway inflammation with variable airflow obstruction causing wheeze, cough and breathlessness, managed with inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators according to a stepwise plan.

A viral lower respiratory infection of infants, usually respiratory syncytial virus, causing coryza, wheeze, crackles and feeding difficulty; management is supportive with oxygen and hydration.