A 5-year-old presents with 12 days of fever, productive cough, and left-sided pleuritic chest pain not responding to outpatient amoxicillin. Exam: T 39.2°C, RR 36, SpO2 94% on RA, decreased breath sounds and dullness to percussion at the left base. Chest ultrasound reveals a large left pleural effusion with multiple internal septations (loculations). CT chest confirms complex parapneumonic effusion without lung abscess. Which management strategy is most appropriate?

A 10-year-old has a BB gun injury to the right eye: mild hypotony, shallow anterior chamber, teardrop-shaped pupil, and a positive Seidel test. Visual acuity is counting fingers at 3 feet. Which is the single most important immediate management step?

Why is muscle strength prioritized over muscle mass in modern sarcopenia definitions?

An 8-year-old on pressure control A/C (PIP 24, PEEP 6, RR 18, FiO2 0.50) has ABG: pH 7.48, PaCO2 30, PaO2 98. The team wants to correct the hyperventilation without compromising oxygenation. Which adjustment is most appropriate?

A 3-year-old on volume control A/C develops acute bronchospasm. PIP rises from 22 to 38 cmH2O while VT is unchanged. Which statement best explains this rise in PIP?

A 2-year-old presents with multiple painful ulcers on the anterior oral mucosa (lips, gingiva, tongue), fever 39.5 degrees C, drooling, and refusal to drink. The ulcers are 2-5 mm with erythematous halos. Which is the most likely diagnosis?

A 9-year-old with known severe persistent asthma presents to the PICU in status asthmaticus. He has received three doses of albuterol, ipratropium, and IV methylprednisolone 2 mg/kg over the past 2 hours. He remains in marked respiratory distress with a PEFR of 25% predicted, accessory muscle use, and SpO2 90% on 10 L/min non-rebreather. He is speaking only in single words. Which intervention is most appropriate at this time?

Following extubation of a high-risk 18-month-old, which intervention has the strongest evidence for reducing re-intubation rates?

A 2-year-old with chronic lung disease on home O2 develops a URI. ABG: pH 7.35, PaCO2 60, HCO3 32, PaO2 52. Which interpretation is most accurate?

A 7-year-old is intubated for hypoxic respiratory failure following aspiration pneumonia. Chest radiograph shows bilateral alveolar infiltrates. ABG on FiO2 1.0 and PEEP 8 cm H2O: pH 7.28, PaCO2 58, PaO2 62. The PNP-AC calculates a P/F ratio of 62. The Oxygenation Index (OI) is 23. Which statement best characterizes this patient’s condition?