A nurse is admitting an 8-year-old child to the pediatric unit. Exhibits The nurse suspects the child has bacterial meningitis. Drag words from the choices below to fill in each blank in the following sentence. The child is at greatest risk for developing dropdownanddropdown.

Rationale for correct choices • Increased intracranial pressure: Meningitis causes inflammation of the meninges, which restricts cerebrospinal fluid flow and leads to cerebral edema. Symptoms such as headache, lethargy, irregular respirations, and nuchal rigidity point toward elevated ICP risk. • Seizures: CNS irritation from infection increases neuronal excitability. The child’s fever, irritability, and lethargy make them especially prone to seizures, which are a common complication in pediatric bacterial meningitis. Rationale for incorrect choices • Disseminated intravascular coagulation: Although petechiae are present, DIC is not the most immediate or common complication in meningitis. It is more often linked to meningococcemia with fulminant sepsis rather than early bacterial meningitis. • Hydrocephalus: This may occur in chronic or untreated meningitis, but it is not the most acute risk. The more pressing concerns are cerebral edema and ICP elevation rather than long-term ventricular dilation. • Hypothermia: The child currently has fever and chills, indicating hyperthermia. Hypothermia may occur in overwhelming sepsis or late-stage shock, but it is not the primary complication expected at this stage.