How To Know When To Take a Child To the Emergency Room
- July 16, 2009
- 1,294 Views
Writer
Rosemarie_Lennon
Figure out whether you’re overreacting or experiencing a genuine medical emergency with these guidelines.
You Will Need
- Monitoring of symptoms
Step 1
Call your doctor for advice if your child has neck stiffness or a rash with a fever. These could be signs of meningitis, a potentially life-threatening infection.
Make sure your child has had their vaccinations against meningitis.
Step 2
Call 911 if your child gets a head injury that’s accompanied by unconsciousness, vomiting, unresponsiveness, confusion, or weakness in the limbs.
Step 3
A stomach ache is usually no cause for alarm. But if their stomach is swollen and tender to the touch, there’s blood in their stool, and they’re vomiting, visit the E.R.: They may have an intestinal blockage. If the pain is severe and concentrated on the lower right side of their abdomen, it could be appendicitis.
If you suspect appendicitis, don’t give them aspirin, which can make the condition worse.
Step 4
Call your doctor if your child has been vomiting longer than 12 hours, their vomit is bloody, or if it’s accompanied by a swollen abdomen, severe abdominal pain, lethargy, irritability, infrequent urination, or the inability to keep liquids down. You doctor can advise you if it’s an emergency situation.
Step 5
Handle minor burns at home. Call 911 if it’s a chemical burn; a major burn to the hands, face, or genitals; looks like an open sore; or is larger than your child’s palm.
Step 6
If your child shows signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the upper body or face that causes the throat to swell, restricting breathing, call for an ambulance immediately.
More than 24,000 children were treated in emergency rooms for head and neck injuries associated with shopping carts in 2005.
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Comments (3)
Children should not be given aspirin. Aspirin has been linked to Reye's Syndrome following the flu and chicken pox.
over 2 years ago by DrMDK
A playful child with fever is usually not serious.
over 2 years ago by DrMDK
Aah-choo! Yes, its the rainy season once again. Colds and flu are common during these days and anybody can be infected with the flu virus. But do not confuse the colds for the flu. Influenza or flu is a respiratory infection caused by a virus .Since it is the start of the fall flu season, there not only will be the ordinary flu, but also the H1N1 influenza
strain, or the Swine Flu. Any vaccine carries risk of infection, but most likely it will protect you. The worst possible H1N1 vaccine risk is a possibility of developing GBS, or Guillain Barre Syndrome, an auto-immune condition which involves the break down of the lining of nerve cells. It's worth getting <;a href=";http://personalmoneystore.com/Personal-Loans/emergency-Loan/ "; title=";Get an emergency loan online today";>;emergency loans<;/a>; for an H1N1 vaccine.
over 2 years ago by Oklanp
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