If a 12 kg child in asystole/PEA receives epinephrine, what is the total dose?

• A. 0.12 mg
• B. 0.012 mg
• C. 1.2 mg
• D. 0.0012 mg

Answer: (A)

In pediatric CPR, epinephrine is given at 0.01 mg per kilogram per dose IV/IO, repeated every 3–5 minutes. For a 12 kg child, that dose is 0.01 mg/kg × 12 kg = 0.12 mg per dose. So the total dose is 0.12 mg.

If you’re thinking in terms of dilution, the common IV/IO preparation is 1:10,000 epinephrine (0.1 mg/mL). That means 0.12 mg corresponds to about 1.2 mL of that solution, but the mass dose you’re reporting here is 0.12 mg. The other numbers represent doses that are tenfold or hundredfold off from the correct 0.12 mg.