Possible Signs of an Emergency Situation

Runny noses. Stomach aches. An itchy rash. These are just a few of the standard illnesses that happen in youngsters all over the place.

But what if one thing extra critical develops, like a fever above 103 levels or a stiff neck? You could not know whether or not to hurry to the emergency room, name the physician, or just wait it out at dwelling.

“If your child looks very weak — sick as they’ve ever been — the parents need to call their doctor now,” says pediatrician Barton Schmitt, MD, who supervises the After Hours Call Center on the Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colo., which takes requires 590 pediatricians each evening. “Of those calls, 20% are sent to the ER, 30% need to be seen the next day in the office, and half can be safely cared for at home,” Schmitt says.

Some parents may worry that their instinct to head to the ER or urgent care clinic after the pediatrician’s office is closed will be questioned by the doctor on call if nothing serious turns up, but it’s generally wise to trust your gut feeling.

“Some parents think they shouldn’t go to the hospital because they’ll be ridiculed, but there’s nothing wrong with an ER visit that results in nothing but reassurance,” says Alfred Sacchetti, MD, chief of emergency drugs at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, N.J., and spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians. “If something happened, you wouldn’t have been able to live with it.”

Here are frequent childhood signs that will warrant a go to to the physician’s workplace, 24-hour walk-in clinic, or emergency room. If you could have a child beneath the age of 1, examine WebMD’s article on when to take a child to the physician or ER, as a result of the factors are completely different for infants than for older children. However, with children of any age, do not hesitate to ask a well being care skilled once you’re unsure.

High Fever in a Child Older Than 1

If your youngster is flushed and scorching, your first intuition could also be to see a physician as shortly as doable, however this may occasionally not all the time be vital.

“We constantly try to teach parents not to look at the thermometer, but what kids’ symptoms are and what they look like,” says Schmitt, who created the KidsDoc app for smartphones from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a triage system that helps dad and mom work out learn how to deal with children’ signs.

A fever is a part of the physique’s manner of defending itself towards an an infection. If a baby has a fever, it signifies that their immune system is working. A fever, by definition, is 100.4 F, taken rectally. You could wish to take a toddler’s temperature beneath their arm, however you should definitely add one diploma to the outcomes, to get a extra correct quantity.

You can provide your youngster drugs equivalent to acetaminophen or ibuprofen (if the kid is greater than 6 months previous) to scale back their fever. But make certain that it is actually vital, and maintain shut tabs on the dosage of this or any remedy in youngsters, whether or not it is from a prescription or not. Remember, fever reducers don’t battle the an infection that is inflicting the fever, it simply reduces the fever quickly.

A latest research printed within the journal Pediatrics discovered that one in 4 dad and mom give their youngsters fever-reducing remedy when their temperature is lower than 100 F, however most pediatricians do not advocate treating a fever except it is above 101 F. And in case your youngster appears to be like effectively and is consuming and consuming, skip the journey to the ER; a excessive fever by itself would not all the time want rapid medical consideration.

“Most fevers in a child are not medical emergencies and can wait until the office opens to see a doctor,” says AAP spokeswoman Ari Brown, MD, a pediatrician primarily based in Austin, Texas. She recommends that you simply convey your youngster age 2 or older to the physician if they’ve a fever of 104 levels Fahrenheit or greater, if they appear unwell, or if they’ve had a persistent fever for 4 or extra days in a row . A baby youthful than 2 needs to be seen by a physician inside 48 hours of a fever.

Bad Headache

How are you able to inform whether or not your kid’s headache is critical sufficient to warrant rapid medical consideration, or if letting them skip college and sleep it off would assist?

“Minor headaches go away with over-the-counter pain relievers and/or rest,” Brown says. “Major headaches do not.”

If your kid’s headache endures for a number of hours — or if the ache is so intense that they cannot eat, play, and even take pleasure in their favourite TV present — name the pediatrician.

“If it’s severe enough to incapacitate the child, it needs to be evaluated now,” Schmitt says. “They cannot do any normal activities. All they can do is think about their pain.”

Headaches could be generally attributable to tight muscle tissue within the scalp, somewhat than an issue associated to the mind, however a headache with neurological signs (equivalent to confusion, blurred imaginative and prescient, or hassle strolling) needs to be evaluated by an emergency room physician.

Headaches mixed with fever, vomiting, confusion, rash, or stiff neck must also be evaluated shortly because the youngster may have a critical an infection or sickness, equivalent to meningitis, which is a medical emergency.

If a baby will get complications typically, that must be evaluated. Children usually mustn’t get complications.

Widespread Rash

Don’t be too involved a couple of rash in your kid’s arm or ft; they’re usually innocent. If the rash covers their whole physique, although, study it to see whether or not you need to get medical consideration.

“If you touch the red rash and it blanches or turns white, then you let go and it turns red again, you usually don’t have to worry about it,” Sacchetti says. “Most of the virus rashes and allergic reactions, including hives, will do that.”

A non-blanching rash — small purple or purple spots on the pores and skin that do not change colour once you press on them — can point out a medical emergency equivalent to meningitis or sepsis, notably when accompanied by a fever. This sort of rash also can seem on the face after violent bouts of coughing or vomiting, so it isn’t all the time an indication of one thing critical, particularly if it is simply in a single space.

To be protected, any time your youngster has small purple or purple non-blanching dots seem on a widespread space, it is best to hunt emergency care directly, to rule out a extra critical situation.

Another widespread rash which generally is a medical emergency are hives which seem with lip swelling. Hives needs to be instantly handled with diphenyhadramine (Benadryl). If there’s lip or facial swelling, the kid should see a physician. If your kid’s respiratory is labored or your youngster complains about issue respiratory, name 911 instantly. These signs recommend an anaphylactic response, which is a critical, life-threatening allergic response.

Severe Stomach Bug

When your youngster has meals poisoning or gastroenteritis (the so-called “stomach flu,” though it has nothing to do with influenza), monitor how often they’re throwing up or having diarrhea.

Vomiting and diarrhea can lead to dehydration. If it is mild dehydration, your doctor may recommend giving oral electrolyte solutions at home, though treatment depends in part on the child’s age. If your child seems to be getting worse (not urinating or acting sick), you should see your doctor.

Vomiting three times in an afternoon may not lead to dehydration, but eight bouts of diarrhea in eight hours probably will, as will a combination of vomiting with diarrhea. Dehydration needs to be closely monitored and sometimes needs emergency treatment.

“If they’re losing it below and not able to retain the ideal fluid from above, they may need some IV fluids or prescription medication to stop the vomiting,” Schmitt says. “The younger kids are at the greatest risk of dehydration.”

Stiff Neck

A stiff neck can point out meningitis, a real medical emergency, so dad and mom could panic in the event that they see their youngster standing rigidly, not transferring their necks, or refusing to look left or proper. But a stiff neck by itself is never something greater than sore muscle tissue.

“Look at a constellation of symptoms, not just one in isolation,” Brown says. “A stiff neck alone might mean you slept funny. Meningitis is a combination of fever with a stiff neck, light sensitivity and headache.” Meningitis will also be accompanied by vomiting and lethargy.

A stiff neck with a fever may be so simple as a tonsil irritation or swollen lymph node, not meningitis; calling the pediatrician may ease your fears. Of course, if trauma prompted a damage neck, that is a transparent cause to go to the ER.