What is the appropriate ventilation frequency for a 4-year-old child in respiratory failure?

For a 4-year-old child in respiratory failure, the correct ventilation frequency is 1 ventilation every 3 to 5 seconds. This rate aligns with the guidelines for providing positive pressure ventilation to pediatric patients.

In the event of respiratory failure, it’s vital to deliver a sufficient volume of air to ensure adequate oxygenation while preventing overinflation of the lungs. The recommended rate of 1 ventilation every 3 to 5 seconds allows for a balanced approach, which provides necessary oxygen while also permitting some passive expiration between ventilations. This is critical in achieving effective ventilation in a pediatric patient, as their respiratory physiology differs from that of adults.

Ventilating too quickly, as suggested in options that propose a rate of every 1 to 2 seconds, may lead to complications such as barotrauma or inadequate time for full exhalation. Additionally, providing one ventilation every 10 seconds or once per minute would be insufficient to maintain adequate oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal in a child experiencing respiratory failure. Therefore, the recommendation to ventilate every 3 to 5 seconds is both safe and effective for managing such a critical situation in a pediatric setting.