HEALTH MATTERS
By: Carolyn Schindewolf
Knowing what to do in an emergency is a skill that will last a lifetime and it may save a life. This skill becomes particularly important in dealing with children, as the adult has to do the thinking, reacting and keeping cool for both parties.
Each year, 600,000 children are hospitalized in the United States, 16 million children are seen in emergency rooms, and 30,000 are permanently disabled due to unintentional injuries. Knowing the following tips may prove invaluable when dealing with trauma, blood loss, burns to the skin, knocked- out teeth, dislocations and poisonings.
Next Friday’s Health Matters will address other emergency situations.
Trauma.
In incidents that produce trauma, such as a fall or an automobile accident, it is important not to move the injured person until it is known whether he or she has suffered a neck or spinal cord injury. As a rule, if the child was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, leave it on. If the child has sustained a head injury of any kind, it is helpful to apply ice to the area, if possible. A bag of frozen veggies is good for this purpose. Many parents worry about letting the child sleep, but for mild head injuries, this is not a problem. Monitor the child to make sure that he or she can be easily aroused from sleep.
Blood loss.
When dealing with blood loss of any kind, apply direct pressure to the bleeding site and raise up the arm or leg to let gravity help stop the flow of blood.
For nose bleeds, it is best to pinch the nose and lean the child forward. Do not tilt back his or her head because this will force the blood to drip down the throat, which could cause choking. Although there seems to be an alarming amount of blood loss with a nose bleed, it looks much more serious than it usually is. It is not unusual for a nose bleed to last 10 minutes. If nose bleeds become frequent, however, let your doctor know.
Burns.
Burns to the skin require immediate attention. If a burn occurs on the face, hands, feet or genital area, call your doctor and go to the emergency room. You want to cool the burned skin by using cool water or a cool cloth not ice, which can damage the tissue. Never apply butter or petroleum jelly, as they trap the heat in and cause the skin to continue burning. After the skin has cooled, gently place antibiotic cream on the wound.
To prevent hot-water burns, reduce the temperature of the water in your home from a typical setting of 140-150 degrees (at which it takes only seconds to receive a third-degree burn) to 120 degrees.
Sunburns can be just as dangerous. Do not use sunscreen or expose infants younger than six months to direct sun. Opt for hats and clothes to protect the skin. For children older than six months, apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside and reapply often. Help make sunscreen a lifelong habit.
Tooth loss.
For the child of any age who knocks out a tooth, time is of the essence. The tooth can usually be reattached if done so within 30 minutes. Call the dentist immediately. Save the tooth in a glass of whole milk or in saliva. To reduce the risk of the child swallowing the tooth, have him or her spit it in a cup. Sucking on an ice pop helps reduce swelling.
Bone injuries.
Because their joints are more flexible, children are less likely to suffer strains and sprains. They frequently suffer dislocations and fractures. If you suspect a fracture, call your doctor. Stabilize and immobilize the injured joint with newspapers or pillows. If the bone is sticking out (indicating a compound fracture,) head to the emergency room. As a rule, think R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).
Poisoning.
For children under 5, poisoning from vitamins with iron as well as from Tylenol, perfume, make-up and plants is quite common and scary. Call 9-1-1 immediately if the child is showing immediate symptoms, such as troubled breathing or unconsciousness.
Call the Poison Control Center at 1-(800)-222-1222 for information or if you are unsure whether the substance swallowed is poisonous. If advised to do so by Poison Control or your pediatrician, administer activated charcoal or syrup of ipecac. These substances, which should be in everyone’s medicine cabinet, bind the poison to them so it is not absorbed by the body. Lie the child on his or her left side to help make the stomach a reservoir, keeping the poison from going into the small intestine and being absorbed by the body.
Consider signing up for a Pediatric First Aid class, offered twice a month at The Medical Center at Princeton. For more information or to make an appointment, call (609) 497-4442.
Carolyn Schindewolf is a health educator on staff at The Medical Center at Princeton. This article was prepared in collaboration with Lorraine Seabrook.