Infant Physical Examination Procedures
📌 Procedures begin with anthropometric measurements: weight using a standard scale and length/height using a stadiometer while ensuring the infant's head remains stationary.
👶 Growth status is determined using a vector diagram based on length/height ratios, with distinct diagrams provided for female (red) and male (blue) infants.
💨 Respiratory assessment involves counting the respiratory rate for one minute, noting breath sounds, and checking for additional sounds like rales, rhonchi, or wheezing.
💓 Circulatory assessment includes counting the pulse rate for one minute by placing fingers on the brachial artery and measuring body temperature using a mercury thermometer placed in the axilla.

Systemic Head-to-Toe Examination (Infants)
👁️ Head and Face: Assess head circumference, fontanelle status (anterior/posterior), hair condition, eyes (sclera, conjunctiva, discharge), and check for nasal flaring or cyanosis around the mouth/neck.
🦴 Thorax and Abdomen: Inspect the chest shape and symmetry, measure chest circumference, assess chest expansion, and auscultate heart sounds (S1, S2) for murmurs or gallops.
👂 Neurological & Skin Checks: Evaluate reflexes (Palmar grasp, Plantar reflex, Rooting, Sucking, Moro reflex), and check skin for signs of cyanosis or jaundice (using a standardized table for grading).

General Examination Procedures (Children/Older Patients)
📊 Vital Signs: Assess respiratory rate over one minute (observing chest expansion), count the pulse on the radial artery for one minute, and measure temperature using a mercury thermometer in the axilla.
🧠 General Status: Evaluate the overall condition (mild, moderate, severe illness), consciousness level, and use the AVPU scale (Alertness, Verbal response, Pain response, Unresponsive) for response assessment.
👁️ Head to Toe: For older children, examine the head circumference, note the status of the anterior and posterior fontanelles, check the sclera for icterus, and examine the conjuctiva for pallor.

Advanced Neurological Assessments (Children/Older Patients)
👃 Cranial Nerves: Test the olfactory nerve (CN I) by asking the patient to identify common odors (e.g., coffee, tobacco).
🖐️ Motor Function: Test Cranial Nerves III, IV, and VI by tracking the examiner’s finger with the eyes and test CN XI by having the child resist downward pressure on the shoulders.
👂 Sensory Testing: Evaluate facial sensation (CN V) using cotton on the frontal, parietal, and mandibular regions, and test CN VIII by speaking to the child to check for orientation and response.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Always confirm the symmetry of chest expansion and the presence/absence of chest wall retractions during thoracic examination.
➡️ Bowel sounds (bising usus) in infants should normally be heard 6–12 times per minute across the four abdominal quadrants.
➡️ In pediatric neurological exams, positive Brudzinski's signs (involuntary flexion of limbs upon passive neck flexion) indicate meningeal irritation.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Nov 09, 2025, 12:58 UTC