What immediate intervention should be taken for a child with respiratory failure?

For a child experiencing respiratory failure, the priority is to ensure adequate oxygenation and ventilation. Providing supplemental oxygen is essential to improve oxygen levels in the blood. This intervention supports the child’s respiratory status while further assessment occurs.

Assessing for ventilation assistance is critical because respiratory failure can lead to inadequate gas exchange, and merely providing oxygen may not suffice. If the child demonstrates signs of inadequate breathing or respiratory distress, interventions such as bag-mask ventilation or advanced airway management may be necessary to ensure proper ventilation.

The other interventions mentioned, while important in other scenarios, do not adequately address the immediate needs of a child in respiratory failure. Administering intravenous medication may be useful but is not the first-line response in a situation where immediate life support for breathing is required. Chest compressions and starting CPR are reserved for cardiac arrest situations, where there is no pulse, as opposed to respiratory failure where the heart may still be beating, and the primary concern is the inability to breathe effectively.