Certain situations not described here may require to bring your child to a hospital emergency room.
| WHEN TO BRING YOUR CHILD TO A HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM |
|---|
General condition | - Your child falls asleep for no reason during their activities and is hard to wake up. They are very irritable or inconsolable.
- Your child becomes pale and very weak indeed.
- Your child is dehydrated (no urine (pee) in 12 hours, no tears when they cry).
|
Neurological state | - Your child’s muscles are jerking or twitching uncontrollably (spasms).
- Your child has an unusual headache that is getting worse, with at least one of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Confusion
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty moving one or more limbs
- Your child can’t speak or see or suddenly has a weak limb.
|
Breathing | - Your child has difficulty breathing.
Examples:
– They are too out of breath to speak, eat or drink.
– When they breathe, their chest is caving in or the sides of their nose move. - Your child’s fever is not going down and their chest hurts.
|
Eating and digestion | - Your child has blood in their stools (poop) or in their vomit (red, black or like ground coffee).
- Your child vomits several times for more than 4 hours and cannot keep down any liquid.
- Your child has a stomach ache that won’t go away or that gets worse.
- Your child can’t swallow any liquids.
|
Skin | - Your child has a fever and little red or purple spots on their skin. The spots don’t disappear when you press on them.
- Your child’s skin is red and hot (with or without a wound). The area hurts, and the pain is severe and increasing rapidly.
- Your child’s fingers or toes are cold and turning purple or black.
|
Joints | - Your child has a fever and a painful joint, with redness and/or heat.
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