Why Go to the Nearest ER for Children Services: 10 Reasons
Kids are exposed to all sorts of situations that could potentially lead to them heading over to the ER for emergency medical attention. This is because, especially when they get to the age where they are able to walk, hence go out and play, they can get quite adventurous. Falls, bumps, cuts, infections among others are therefore par for the course as far as children are concerned. When kids are out there playing, they also pick up all sorts of germs and as such are quite vulnerable to getting infections. Couple this with the fact that due to the sports and activities they engage in such as contact sports like football, soccer among others as well as physically exerting exercises such as gymnastics, dancing, cheerleading among others, they are due to suffer from physical trauma, it is no wonder that the number of kids heading to ERs each year are up there. It is also worth mentioning that parents can get quite protective as far as their kids are concerned and as such there are cases where they take their kids to the ER only for the said case to be ruled as not being a medical emergency. Knowing therefore when to take your child to the ER is therefore important and this article will look to highlight 10 reasons that should lead to exactly that.
One of the very first reason that should definitely lead to a child being taken to the nearest ER for attending is high fever. These can lead to very dangerous complications and as such should be taken very seriously as far as children are concerned. The minimum readings that should lead to ER visits include 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit for children under 3 months, 102.2 degrees for those between 3 months and 3 years old as well as 102 degrees for those who are three years or older.
The next reason that should always end with the child heading over to the nearest ER for attending has to do with difficulties breathing. This should always be taken seriously and involves rapid shallow breathing, noisy, high-pitched or whistling sounds during breathing among others which could indicate serious respiratory illnesses or an asthma attack.
The next reason to ensure you take your child to the nearest ER as soon as possible, as per the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com is due to head injuries. This include cases of concussions as well as cuts and gashes on the head with symptoms to be monitored after a head injury in children including sudden sleepiness, difficulty walking up, severe headache, severe bleeding, loss of consciousness among others.
Another reason that should have you taking your child to the nearest ER as soon as possible for attendance is due to seizures. If your child starts to experience sudden seizures, especially if they are unexplained, then they should be taken to the nearest ER pronto, with the same applying for when they suffer severe epileptic attacks. Stiffness, violent shaking, foaming at the mouth among others are some of the signs to look out for.
The next reason to ensure that you take a child to the nearest ER is when they suffer bone breaks and severe bone fractures. If the broken bone has broken through the skin, the area of the bone break or fracture looks deformed, or the skin around the break turns white when pressed and fails to return to its normal color, then one should definitely take the child to the nearest ER as soon as possible.
If your child has suffered an accident, either from a collision, fall among others, and they are showing signs of shock, then this should be reason enough to take them to the nearest ER as per the folks over at frontlineer.com. Symptoms of shock include cold skin, rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat, vomiting, dizzy spells among others.
The next reason that should ensure one takes their child to the nearest ER as soon as possible is due to severe abdominal pain and stomach bugs. This can be due to food poisoning, infections such as gastroenteritis, among others. Symptoms that require ER visits include severe, lasting pain, tenderness of the stomach, severe vomiting and diarrhea as well as pain radiating to the back.
Another reason that should be behind taking a child to the nearest ER for assessment has to do with severe allergic reactions. This can cause severe rashes, hives and welts, breathing difficulties, swelling of tongue and throat among others and should be taken seriously so as to prevent the child from going into anaphylactic shock.
One should also keep an eye out for ear infections, prone as far as children are concerned due to the fact that the anatomy of their ears is different to that of adults, and if one spots signs of the same, then it should be reason enough to take them to the nearest ER. Symptoms to look out for include fever, redness around the ears, blood and pus discharging from the ear among others, all covered in detail over at frontlineer.com.
Another reason that one should keep an eye out for as far as children are concerned, one that should lead to a visit to the nearest ER has to do with the throat. If your child is drooling, is exhibiting voice changes or is having difficulty swallowing, they should be taken to the nearest ER as soon as possible as if this is not attended to immediately, it could lead to problems with the airway.
The above are just some of the reasons that should ensure you take your child to the nearest ER for with more on this and other related topics to be found over at frontlineer.com.
