YEAR 05 • ADVANCED CLINICAL

Paediatrics

20 learning units • 100 chapter sections • 200 explained questions. Assess children from birth through adolescence, recognise urgent illness and plan safe treatment, prevention and family-centred follow-up.

Original RAHBAR study material for the Year 5 learning pathway. Clinical cases support supervised undergraduate learning. Treatment choices, doses and procedures must follow current local protocols and the responsible clinical team. References & further reading ↓

MODULE 07 / 20

Bronchiolitis, Pneumonia & Upper Airway Disease

Distinguish common respiratory presentations and recognise exhaustion or airway compromise.

Quick revision ↓ Medical Dictionary

01Assess breathing

Observe rate, effort, recession, grunting, colour and ability to feed or speak. Measure oxygen saturation with an appropriate reliable probe and interpret it with the child’s condition. Apnoea, exhaustion or reduced consciousness requires emergency escalation even when one recorded value appears reassuring.

02Bronchiolitis

A young child with coryza followed by cough, tachypnoea and crackles or wheeze may have bronchiolitis. Young infants can present with apnoea. Management is primarily supportive, including oxygen and feeding support when indicated; routine antibiotics, bronchodilators and corticosteroids are not treatments for uncomplicated bronchiolitis.

03Pneumonia

Fever, cough, tachypnoea and focal chest findings can suggest pneumonia. Severity and complications determine the need for admission and investigations. Use current antimicrobial guidance when bacterial pneumonia is suspected. Persistent fever, worsening effort or focal chest pain should prompt review for complications such as an effusion.

04Stridor and croup

A barking cough with stridor can indicate croup, but consider foreign body and other airway disease. Stridor at rest, marked recession or fatigue increases concern. Keep the child calm and obtain appropriate help; avoid forceful throat examination in a distressed child with suspected critical upper-airway obstruction.

05Discharge readiness

Assess respiratory stability, intake, hydration and the family’s ability to return. Explain signs of worsening effort, apnoea, cyanosis or poor feeding. A child’s breathing can deteriorate after a brief reassuring period, so a practical follow-up plan matters alongside the working diagnosis.

High-Yield Revision

Apnoea can be a bronchiolitis presentation.
Assess effort and fatigue as well as saturation.
Minimise distress in significant upper-airway obstruction.

Common Pitfalls

Using routine bronchodilators for uncomplicated bronchiolitis.
Allowing one reassuring saturation to override exhaustion.

References & Further Reading

Read the relevant guideline sections alongside these original clinical teaching cases. Local pathways, available services and individual patient factors determine care.

Reference review: 28 September 2026. Consult current local protocols for prescribing, procedures and escalation.