What is the pediatric epinephrine dose for bradycardia when using a 0.1 mg/mL concentration?

• A. 0.01 mg/kg IV/IO dose
• B. 0.1 mg/kg IV/IO dose
• C. 1 mg/mL concentration
• D. 0.1 mg/kg ET dose

Answer: (A)

For this scenario, the important idea is dosing epinephrine by weight using the IV/IO route with a 1:10,000 concentration. That concentration is 0.1 mg/mL, so giving 0.01 mg per kilogram delivers the correct amount per dose. In practical terms, that means you administer 0.1 mL per kilogram of the 0.1 mg/mL solution (since 0.01 mg/kg ÷ 0.1 mg/mL = 0.1 mL/kg). This dose is given every 3–5 minutes as needed during bradycardia with poor perfusion.

For example, a 10 kg child would receive 0.1 mg (0.01 mg/kg × 10 kg), which equates to 1 mL of the 0.1 mg/mL solution. That volume delivers the correct mg/kg dose via IV/IO. Using a higher mg/kg dose or a different route changes the amount delivered and can lead to unnecessary risk; for instance, an ET dose is typically higher (and not the IV/IO dose used in this context), and a grossly different concentration like 1 mg/mL would correspond to a much different dose than the weight-based 0.01 mg/kg.