PALS Drugs and Pharmacology You Should Know (plus Printable Flashcards!)

Item: SaveaLife.com
Rating: 4.8
Author: Ronald Fernandez

Mackenzie Thompson, Life Saver, NHCPS

Co-authored by Karl Disque, D.O. RPH

posted on

Aug 9, 2016 8:09 PM

EACH OF THE Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Life Support (PALS) algorithms utilizes commonly used drugs within the field of pediatrics. These primary drugs are a big part of understanding PALS, and the ability to recall PALS drug doses, actions, indications and administrations is crucial.

Below, we’ve created printable PALS drugs flashcards with the name of the drug on side 1, and the action, doses and notes on the reverse side to make studying for PALS simple!

Please click on the preview images of the flashcards to be re-directed to the printable PDF files.

Here are the current PALS drugs from the latest International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation guidelines and NHCPS:

DRUG	MAIN PALS USE	PEDIATRIC DOSE (IV/IO)	NOTES
Adenosine	Supraventricular tachycardia	First dose: 0.1 mg/kg (MAX DOSE 6 mg) Second dose: 0.2 mg/kg (MAX DOSE 12 mg)	Rapid IV/IO bolus (no ET) Flush with saline Monitor ECG
Amiodarone	Tachyarrhythmia	5 mg/kg over 20 to 60 minutes Repeat up to 15 mg/kg (MAX DOSE 300 mg)	Very long half life Monitor ECG & BP
Atropine	Bradycardia	0.02 mg/kg ET: 0.03 mg/kg Repeat once if needed (MAX single dose 0.5 mg)	Also used to treat specific toxins (e.g. organophosphate poisoning)
Epinephrine	Cardiac Arrest/Shock	IV/IO: 0.01 mg/kg [1:10,000] (MAX DOSE 1 mg) ET: 0.1 mg/kg [1:1,000] (MAX DOSE 2.5 mg)	Multiple uses, multiple routes Repeat every 3 to 5 min if needed
Glucose	Hypoglycemia	0.5 to 1 g/kg	Newborn: 5 to 10 mL/kg D₁₀W Infants/Children: 2 to 4 mL/kg D₂₅W Adolescents: 1 to 2 mL/kg D₅₀W
Lidocaine	Tachyarrhythmia	Initial: 1 mg/kg Infusion: 20 to 50 mcg/kg/min (MAX DOSE 100 mg) ET: 2 to 3 mg
Magnesium Sulfate	Torsades de Pointes Refractory Asthma	20 to 50 mg/kg over 10 to 20 min (MAX DOSE 2 grams)	May run faster for Torsades
Milrinone	Cardiogenic Shock	Initial: 50 mcg/kg over 10 to 60 min Maintain: 0.5 to 0.75 mcg/kg/min	Longer infusion times and euvolemia will reduce risk of hypotension
Naloxone	Opioid Reversal	Less than 5 y/o OR under 20 kg: 0.1 mg/kg Over 5 y/o OR over 20 kg: 2 mg IV q 2 to 3 min prn	Decrease dose to reverse respiratory depression due to therapeutic opioid use (1 to 5 mcg/kg, titrate to effect)
Procainamide	Tachyarrhythmia	15 mg/kg over 30 to 60 minutes	Do NOT give with amiodarone Monitor ECG & BP
Sodium Bicarbonate	Metabolic Acidosis	1 mEq/kg slow bolus (MAX DOSE 50 mEq)	Monitor ABG & ECG After adequate ventilation

Feel free to share these flashcards with your friends and co-workers! If you are interested in receiving online PALS certification or recertification, you can click here for more information on what we offer here at NHCPS.com.

Other resources for PALS success: