From CHILD HEALTH Questions You May Ask

What should be done if a child falls from a height?

If a child falls from a height first thing you should do is to see whether he gets up on his own and comes to you crying or if he has got superficial injury and cries for a while. In both these situations there may not be much damage. But if a child lies there without wanting to get up or becomes unconscious, then it is serious. I am afraid you will have to consult your doctor. If there is an injury do not massage it. You could do a lot of damage by massaging and setting it in the wrong direction.

If a child gets burnt with hot water, what can be applied before he is seen by the doctor?

The degree of the burn will decide the nature of the treatment. If there is some redness of the skin no treatment is required. But if the redness is pronounced and becomes more than a slight patch, it may lead to vesication and finally it may cause an open wound. In such case nothing is applied on the wound, the clothes are removed so that they do not rub against it or get stuck to it. If some material has stuck, do not try to remove it forcibly, take the child to the hospital at the earliest possible. Again in the case of burns, the damage is done not only by the bum wound itself, but also by the fluid loss from the burns. It is very necessary that the infection of the wound be avoided. So dirty clothes should not get into the wound and medical attention should be sought at the earliest.

In case of an ordinary burn, if cold water is applied immediately it may prevent vesication and is soothing as well. So ordinary cold water is the best first aid one can use.

If a child swallows a fish bone or a pin, what should be done?

Any obstruction, whether by a fish bone or by a pin or any other article, will make the child choke if it is in his respiratory passage. If it comes down through the food pipe it may be passed out in the stool. But in case of choking at times the calamity may be avoided by putting the child upside down. It is a very serious condition. Call the doctor at once.

What would you advise in case of an animal bite?

If the bite is by a small insect, then there may be swelling of the affected part which will subside on its own, in a few days time. But if it is superficial and causes cosmetic or other worries then you may ask your doctor, and he will give you an anti-allergic drug for the swelling to subside.

But if the bite is by a snake, then I would suggest you to take the child immediately to your local doctor for observation. If the bite is on the arm or the leg, it is advisable to tie a tight bandage above the wound and take the patient to the hospital as soon as possible. Besides it is necessary to kill the snake and take it along so that the doctor can decide if it was poisonous or not.

If the bite is by a dog it will have to be observed. If the dog is alive nothing should be done. If the dog dies within ten days I am afraid you will have to give the child a whole course of anti-rabic injections, If the bite is by a stray dog or if you could not keep the dog under observation for ten days, it will have to be treated like the bite of a rabid dog.

As far as the local wound is concerned it needs to be cleaned with some antiseptic solution after being washed with soap and water. Any antiseptic solution which you may have ready at home could be used.

What is food poisoning? How do you know it?

Food poisoning means that the child has taken food, which is infected and will lead to diarrhea and/ or vomiting. Any child who becomes sick after eating something and has diarrhea or vomiting should be suspected of food poisoning. This needs treatment in a hospital, as it could be serious.

Please tell us what should be done when a child falls down and has cuts and bruises.

If a child does not fall, he will never grow up, and if he falls it's natural to get cuts and bruises. If a child has bruises, I would suggest you press them with ice or cold water, with this the pain will be less and the bruise will become localized. If he gets a cut from which there is some oozing of blood, it is again necessary to apply ice on top. With this the oozing will stop and so will the pain. Even if there is a lot of bleeding, it is advisable to tie a tight bandage two inches above the wound if it happens to be on the limbs. This bandage should not be kept for more than 10 to 15 minutes, and the child should be taken to the doctor. For minor cuts, I would advise you to wash them with soap and water and apply some ice to reduce the pain and bleeding.

If a child puts a pin in his ear or has an insect in the ear, what should be done?

Pin in the ear is a serious problem. I will not advise you to put anything in the ear to take it out. Any attempt on your part to remove it may push it further inside and perforate the eardrum. So take him to the doctor who can remove it with care.

In case of a small insect getting into the ear, put any oil into the ear so that the insect dies, and when the child inverts his ear, the insect come out. Sometimes the insect may be dead and stuck up inside the ear. Take the child to the doctor for getting it out. Please do not try to remove the insect yourself with a pin etc.

If a child swallows sleeping-pills, what is to be done?

Sleeping-pills are dangerous. They depress the respiration. Hence if you can make the child vomit, make him do so and then take him to the hospital at the earliest so that his respiration can be watched and treated.

If a child swallows strong alkali or acid, what is to be done ?

Strong acids and alkali are dangerous and the only thing you can do at home is to avoid vomiting. Take the child to hospital as fast as possible. If you have vinegar at home, you can give a teaspoon in alkali poisoning. With acid poisoning a teaspoon of baking soda can be given, but in both these conditions the child must be taken to the hospital immediately.

If a child swallows aspirin, what is to be done?

Aspirin is a dangerous drug. I suggest you make the child vomit as quickly as possible and take him to the hospital at the earliest possible. Let the doctor decide the line of treatment.

Could you tell us some more about drug poisoning in general?

Lots of the drugs which are stored at home like pain-relievers or sedatives, are used by the family frequently. These are the drugs which the child may swallow. With all these drugs, unless they are strong acids or alkali, it will be advisable to make the child vomit and take him to the hospital at the earliest possible so that the child can be seen and advised in regard to that particular poisoning. All the drugs should be kept locked up and out of the reach of the child. Many of these accidents happen because of the carelessness of the adults and can be prevented.

If a child swallows soap or alcohol, what should be done?

If a child takes in some soap, it is a mild alkali and hence if you have some vinegar at home, make him drink it with some water, otherwise nothing needs to be done. If the quantity is large, the child will vomit it himself.

If he swallows some alcohol, a small amount will make him very active, and nothing needs to be done, since this stage will pass off and the child will sleep after this. If it is a large quantity, the child will either vomit it out himself or you can make him vomit, and then let him sleep it off.

2.First fill in the gaps with: must, should, must have, should have, could, will have to, then play the parts of the doctor and the patient:

At about 2 o'clock on a cold winter night a man telephoned a doctor and asked him if he ... come at once. "You ... hurry", he added. The doctor drove seven miles in answer to this call. When he reached the place the man who had called him in said, "Doc, I ... overtired myself. I have not got any pain, but I have a terrible feeling that I... die soon". The doctor examined his patient, felt his pulse and took his temperature. "Have you made your will*?" he asked. "Why, no, Doctor» the man looked frightened. "You ... done it long ago'" said the doctor. "Have you got a family?" "Yes," said the patient. "You must send for them immediately, and your parents ... be called, too." "I say, Doc, do you think I'm going to die?" "No, I don't," responded the doctor, "but I don't want to be the only man you have made a fool of on the night like this". *will - завещание

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 793