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ASK THE
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[email protected].
Know where to go: a pediatric emergency
medicine physician’s perspective cough, constipation or diarrhea, ear pain, a sprain or
As a pediatric emergency physician, I often get asked an animal or human bite, an asthma attack, a deep cut
the same question: should I take my child to the or bleeding that won’t stop, difficulty breathing, stiff
pediatrician, or do they need to go to the ER? The neck, numbness of the face, arm or leg, seizures, severe
best place to start is with a call to your pediatrician’s stomach pain, a fracture or broken bone, or is coughing
office, many of whom have a nursing triage hotline or or vomiting blood, take them to the nearest Children’s
a doctor on call who you can talk to. You should also Emergency Center immediately.
minor pain, vomiting, mild rash or skin irritation, or
changes in asthma peak flow readings. If your child has
take this time to ask yourself whether your child has
been immunized against common viruses and illnesses. The most important rule of all? Parents should always
If the answer is yes, you can breathe a sigh of relief since trust their gut. If you think it’s an emergency, bring
you have already protected your child from some of your child to see us in the ER. Our team of experts will
the most invasive deadly diseases out there. Once your make sure your child gets the high quality care he or
child is 3 months old and has received the first round of she needs. We’ve gone through more than a decade of
immunizations, the risk of a serious bacterial infection training, including specifically in pediatric emergency
drops dramatically to almost nonexistent. medicine, so you can trust us when we say that we’ve
got your back.
Fever is one of the most common reasons parents bring
their children to the ER. That’s the right thing to do if Daniel Thimann, MD, FAAP
your child has a high fever, or any fever if he or she is Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician
under 2 months old. If your child has a mild or moderate Wolfson Children’s Hospital
fever and he or she is older than 1, try the pediatrician Emergency Resources Group
first. The pediatrician should also be your first stop for
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