When to bring your child to hospital emergency department in Montreal

eAwazHealth

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.