Many mothers have encountered such problems:
The baby accidentally fell from the bed, sofa or stairs, or slipped. What should I do? Will the child break his head? Do you need to go to the hospital? Do I need a head CT examination with radiation?
In fact, in most cases, the child’s fall will not be very serious, and the head injury is also very slight. Not all children who fall will have to go to the hospital, nor will all children who fall have to undergo head CT examination. How should parents judge? How can we handle it correctly? Don’t move for a few minutes. Don’t pick up or move the child immediately after the child falls. Under the condition of ensuring the safety of the surrounding environment, observe on the spot for 5 ~ 10 minutes. If the child behaves as follows: stay awake and react normally; Have a normal face; Both hands and feet move as usual and stretch freely. No convulsions, blue or pale complexion. This indicates that the child’s injury is very slight. There is no need to go to the hospital immediately, No head CT examination is required. Although children may cry due to transient pain and shock, But it usually doesn’t last more than 10 minutes, And then if he can run and play as usual, There is no need to worry too much. In a few cases, Minor head injuries may also cause vertigo, nausea and headache, and children may vomit 1-2 times. If there are bruises on the child’s head, cold compress can be applied to the wound immediately to reduce local bleeding and swelling. But do not rub and rub bruises with safflower oil, sesame oil and other drugs, which can easily lead to secondary injuries. What if you are not conscious? If the child suffers from loss of consciousness, unconsciousness, convulsions, blue or pale complexion, limb inability to move, frequent vomiting, severe headache, etc. It is recommended to call 120 immediately to contact the doctor. Before 120 arrives, Parents need to pay attention to the following issues: Stay in place: If the surroundings are safe, Do not move the child as much as possible. Especially for children suspected of neck injury, Avoid moving the child and causing more serious re-injury. Check breathing: If breathing has stopped, Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation for children. Press hemostasis: If there is serious bleeding due to scalp injury, Use clean gauze or clothes to press directly on the wound to stop bleeding. Waiting for rescue: Serious cases would rather wait quietly at home for the arrival of ambulances, Also don’t take the child to the hospital without authorization. Continue to observe at home for 24 ~ 48 hours even if it is minor injury, You should also continue to closely observe your children at home for 24-48 hours, See if he has some more serious symptoms than at first. Although it is rare, But some seemingly minor head injuries, It may also gradually develop into serious brain diseases, Such as intracranial hemorrhage. If the child has any of the following manifestations, Be sure to see a doctor immediately, And improve relevant examinations including head CT: No spirit: During the usual awake period, The child becomes particularly sleepy or listless. Unable to wake up: When the child is asleep at night, you cannot wake him up. When sleeping on the night of the fall, it is recommended that you try to wake up the child 1-2 times at night to check the child’s condition. Headache or vomiting: The child has persistent headache and has not improved even after taking acetaminophen. Or continue crying uneasy, difficult to appease; Or vomiting more than 2 times. (Note: Even the most minor head injuries, It is also prone to headache, vomiting, But it is often mild, It will get better in a few hours. Generally, vomiting does not exceed 2 times.) Functional abnormalities: The child’s intelligence, coordination ability, feeling or muscle strength have obviously changed, Such as weakness of arms and legs, difficulty in walking, clumsiness in walking posture, slurred speech, strabismus or inability to see clearly. Unconscious: After waking up for a period of time, the child will suffer from consciousness disorder, convulsions or respiratory instability again. Whether the child needs to see a doctor and have an examination immediately after falling needs to be determined according to the specific situation, so as to avoid excessive examination and treatment. Of course, strengthening protection and supervision to avoid accidental falling injuries is the key to prevent head injuries of the child. Responsible Editor: BruceLi