In which case should you take your child to the emergency room? Some information for parents, educators, teachers

By Cristiano Antonino On Dec 24, 2022

In which case should the child be rescued? Calling an ambulance or going to the emergency room is a decision that has to be carefully weighed up, since the resources for this are not infinite

Accessing the emergency room in case of burns

Some simple guidelines for going to the emergency room when it is really necessary
You must take your child to the emergency room in case of burns above the first degree
Clothes and accessories in contact with the burn should be removed where possible. Those that are very close to the skin, on the other hand, should not be torn at all
If waiting for an ambulance, the child should be kept lying down or seated with the burned area elevated and covered with sterile gauze if possible
The child should be taken to the emergency room in all cases of suspected or confirmed foreign body inhalation, even if the situation seems to be improving
The doctors in the emergency department will assess, on a case-by-case basis, whether to carry out in-depth diagnostics by means of X-ray and bronchoscopy

In which case should you go to the emergency room? The paediatrician tells us

It is rare for a child to have an illness that becomes serious within a few hours.

It is therefore always a good idea to consult the family paediatrician, who knows the little patient best.

If the paediatrician is not available quickly or if the parents are worried about their child’s state of health, it is always a good idea to take the child to the emergency room.

Below we give general indications on situations that should be assessed urgently, i.e. in the emergency room.

These indications certainly do not replace the knowledge, skills and indications that only the paediatrician can provide.

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In case of fever, when:

The child is less than 3 months old;
The child is between 3 and 12 months old and you are unable to visit your paediatrician quickly;
The baby shows unusual behaviour: he is irritable or sleepy, does not eat or drink, does not play, does not improve when the temperature drops;
He struggles to breathe;
The skin is pale or marbled and the extremities are cold or small red spots have appeared on the skin that do not disappear when fingers are pressed.

In the case of pain in the throat, when:

He has difficulty swallowing;
His voice is weak;
He is unable to open his mouth completely;
Only one side of the throat or one tonsil is swollen.

In the case of abdominal pain, when:

The child is inconsolable;
The abdominal pain is very severe;
The abdomen is tense to the touch;
The pain radiates to the back;

Abdominal pain is accompanied by one of the following symptoms:

Fever;
Vomiting;
Profuse or bloody diarrhoea;
The child appears drowsy.

In the case of headache, when:

Visual changes have appeared;
Episodes of vomiting appear, especially in the morning;
Muscle weakness or other neurological disorders appear;
Headaches cause nocturnal awakenings.

Vomiting and diarrhoea occur when:

Vomiting has lasted for more than a day or if more than three vomiting attacks have occurred within an hour;
Discharges of diarrhoea are numerous and liquid;
There is an increase in the number of discharges and quantity of faeces in breastfed infants. It is important to bear in mind that with breast milk stools are normally semi-liquid and there may also be a discharge after each feeding;
Blood is present in vomit or stools;

Signs of dehydration are visible:

Arid lips;
Dry tongue;
Dry skin;
Absence of tears;
Sunken eyes;
The child appears weak or drowsy;
There is inconsolable crying;
There is also high fever;
The child has not urinated for more than eight hours.

Coughing and/or difficulty breathing when:

The child has difficulty breathing and/or the respiratory acts are more frequent than normal;
Blood is present in the expectorated phlegm;
Breathing is noisy;
Only half of the chest moves during breathing;
Lips, hands or feet have a bluish tinge;
The cough is wheezing or barking;
There is also high fever.

In the case of head trauma, when:

The child has a loss of consciousness, even briefly;
In the presence of any neurological disorder: walks poorly and unsteadily, has weakness in one limb, is slow to answer simple questions or speaks confusedly, does not remember events, has visual disturbances, has abnormal behaviour;
Has had more than two episodes of vomiting;
Has neck pain;
A soft swelling of the head has appeared, a sign of probable fracture;
The injury occurred as a result of a fall from a great height or following a strong impact.

In case of allergic reactions, when:

Swelling of the face or throat has appeared;
The child has difficulty breathing;
complains of stomachache and nausea;
vomiting or diarrhoea appears;

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In the case of certain or suspected poisoning, it is always preferable to contact the Poison Control Centre immediately to find out whether the substance in question is toxic and whether there are ways of intervening immediately to limit the damage.

Afterwards, the child should always be taken to an emergency room.

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