There is no doubt about this our children’s health This is the most important thing, if any health issues arise, we will definitely take them to a medical center for clinical evaluation and stop them as soon as possible. However, the saturation of primary care means that many fathers and mothers end up struggling. Emergency situations Reacting to a child’s condition also contributes to the collapse of pediatric emergencies.
To avoid these situations and “save 3 or 4 hours in the waiting room,” emergency pediatrician and National Medalist in Medicine David Andina (@daandina)what they are has been explained in the X thread The 10 most common reasons for emergency consultation in children “Previously healthy, older than 6 months, generally in good condition, and had a primary care appointment within 2 or 3 days” and didn’t actually need to go to the emergency room. However, please remind family members not to hesitate to go to them if they feel it is necessary.
10 reasons to consult
– Short-term fever. When the body temperature is no higher than 40.5°C, parents can take antipyretics at home if the general condition is good and in accordance with the instructions of the pediatrician. It’s most likely a viral infection, but regardless, basal body temperature should be checked with a thermometer rather than your hands. In most cases, a trip to the emergency room is not necessary because “the likelihood of additional tests or antibiotics being prescribed after the test is almost zero.”
– Short-term abdominal pain. It is a child’s stomach discomfort or discomfort that lasts about 6-12 hours. Symptoms we should worry about include little ones looking pale or sickly, crying violently, vomiting, increased pain, having blood in their stools or having difficulty with their activities. Doctors recommend taking painkillers and checking its evolution over the next few hours, since if it is appendicitis, medicines will not be able to mask it.
– Short-term earache. It refers to otitis media that lasts no more than 24-48 hours. If the condition worsens and your ears become swollen and red, you should go to the emergency room. In these cases, ibuprofen needs to be taken for two days with subsequent re-evaluation because, as the expert points out, “the indications for antibiotics to treat otitis media become increasingly limited if the child is older than 6 months.”
“If you think it’s an emergency, go to the emergency room.”
– Diarrhea and change in stool color. Diarrhea often occurs with a gastroenteritis infection and is characterized by larger stools and softer texture. It may also be accompanied by other symptoms such as vomiting, fever, and stomach pain. Your child should go to hospital if he or she cannot stop vomiting and cannot tolerate liquids or solids, if the vomitus is green or contains blood, if the stool is excessive, or if the child is very weak. Pediatricians say the real worrisome stool colors are all white, all black, or heavily bloodshot. Normally, gastroenteritis is overcome within 7-10 days with adequate fluids.
– Cough with mucus but no dyspnea. Upper respiratory tract (nose and throat) colds usually present with fever, sneezing, cough, and runny nose. Because these viral infections clear up slowly, experts recommend being patient, performing nasal irrigation, creating a moist environment, providing fluids and taking antipyretics if the fever exceeds 38 – 38.5°C. The fever goes away quickly, but if it persists after 4 or 5 days, a chest X-ray or antibiotic treatment may be needed. Likewise, Dr. Andina remembers that “cough syrups and mucus syrups are not recommended.”
– Skin lesions. Skin problems that should be of concern are fixed lesions such as “broken blood vessels that do not disappear (petechiae) and increase in size when the skin is stretched.” Pediatricians remember that “99.9% of skin lesions in children are not emergencies,” so there’s no problem waiting for primary care. If you have a fever and are generally unwell, it’s understandable to go to the emergency room.
– Head injuries in children. It’s normal for our children to hit their heads in falls or accidents; these are situations over which we have little control, although we can prevent them by using restraint systems or helmets. The trauma is usually minor and ends with a lump, but it can be serious. If you develop a localized cold, vomiting, severe pain, confusion, drowsiness, irritability, behavior changes, or other concerning symptoms after taking analgesics, a visit to the emergency room is warranted.
If your eyes are red or itchy, washing your eyes with serum every 4-6 hours is enough
– Insect bites. It all depends on the type of insect that is bitten and how certain people react to those bites. In general, it is recommended to wash the area with water and soap, and if the itching is very severe, use calamine, ammonia or local cold compresses (as long as it is not on the mucosal area). We should be concerned if our children experience a systemic reaction after being stung by a wasp or bee, the swelling persists for hours or days later (symptoms of redness, burning, pain, and fever), and the sting occurs in the mouth .
– Red eyes. To relieve red or itchy eyes, doctors recommend “rinsing your eyes with blood every 4-6 hours” while we wait for a medical evaluation from primary care. If symptoms do not improve within 1 or 2 days, or if a foreign body, trauma, eye pain, or inflammation of the large eyelids are suspected, a trip to the emergency room is recommended.
– Worms. Intestinal parasitic infections sometimes appear as white worms around the anus or in the stool, and in girls, they may migrate to the vulva. They can cause itching in the area, especially at night, and in most cases diagnostic tests are not needed as visualization of the worms is sufficient. Your pediatrician will prescribe antiparasitic medications to control the condition, and since this is a disease that carries no risk of complications, a trip to the emergency room is not necessary.