Parents avoid the emergency room as often as possible, but if you are the parent of a child with asthma, it’s important to know when the ER is the right choice.
When the following symptoms are showing up the answer to the question of when should I seek emergency medical attention is NOW.
- If your child is wheezing constantly.
- They are using their inhaler repeatedly because they either have severe asthma symptoms or their wheezing quickly returns after treatment.
- If a long-lasting cough is not responding to their prescribed rescue medicine.
- If you notice any changes in the color in your child’s skin, lips or fingernails.
- If your child has trouble speaking or using full sentences.
- If you notice that while breathing or speaking that your child is using extra muscles to breathe, having to flare their nostrils to get sufficient air, or the skin between their ribs or around the neck and collarbone is retracting with each breath.
In these situations, emergency treatment is a must.
Be sure to always keep your child’s asthma medication stocked and easily available. Always take asthma seriously and you should be able to greatly reduce your risk of taking a trip to the Emergency Room.
Author Details
Dr. Aaron Schwartz is an emergency medicine physician in Houston, Texas. He received his medical degree from University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
