"Don't Panic, Call 119"... Pediatric Emergencies to Watch Out for During Chuseok

"It Is Helpful to Check Emergency Room Contact Information and Locations in Advance"

As the Chuseok holiday approaches, parents raising young children often feel anxious, unsure when or under what circumstances their child might fall ill. This anxiety and tension can intensify if an emergency occurs in an unfamiliar area away from home, leaving parents feeling even more unsettled. However, in such situations, it is best to remain calm, contact emergency services at 119, and seek out the nearest pediatric emergency room.

Bae Uri, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. Seoul St. Mary's Hospital

According to Seoul St. Mary's Hospital on October 4, the main reasons infants and young children visit pediatric emergency rooms are gastrointestinal symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, and vomiting, followed by respiratory symptoms like coughing and difficulty breathing. Among injuries, falls, traffic accidents, collisions, poisoning, and burns are most common in that order.

Fever is defined as a rectal temperature of 38°C or higher. While rectal temperature measurement is the most accurate, due to the inconvenience of the method, tympanic thermometers are now widely used. For an accurate tympanic temperature reading, the probe must be fully inserted into the ear canal so that the sensor faces the eardrum.

Some children experience “febrile seizures” when fever is accompanied by convulsions. If a febrile seizure lasts more than 15 to 30 minutes, it can lead to a more dangerous situation, so immediate emergency room care is required. In addition, if an infant under three months old has a fever of 38°C or higher, if a child appears lethargic and unresponsive along with fever, or if the fever persists for more than four to five days, it is important to visit the emergency room without delay to identify the cause and receive appropriate treatment.

Aside from fever, emergency room care is also necessary if a child suddenly wheezes and has difficulty breathing, if their face or lips appear blue, if they experience severe abdominal pain or headache that wakes them from sleep, if they remain lethargic or their consciousness is impaired, if they have persistent chest pain or palpitations, or if they experience repeated seizures.

Children are more susceptible to dehydration than adults, even with a small loss of fluids. If the child is able to drink, encourage them to take small, frequent sips of water or oral rehydration solutions. If they are unable to eat well, the sugars in juice or sports drinks can help prevent hypoglycemia.

During the holidays, various foods, changes in environment, and long-distance travel can easily lead to indigestion, allergies, or safety accidents. If a child is stung by an insect during a visit to ancestral graves and the stinger or venom remains, remove it, and if the child experiences difficulty breathing or appears pale, contact 119 immediately. Outdoors, do not leave children in direct sunlight or inside cars, and if their face becomes red or they seem lethargic, move them to a cool place and give them small amounts of water. If a child is injured in a fall or accident and a fracture or injury to the neck or back is suspected, do not move them and contact 119.

There is also a risk of food or other foreign objects becoming lodged in a child’s throat. Prevent this by cutting food into small pieces, encouraging slow eating, and ensuring the child does not eat while moving or laughing. If food or another object becomes stuck in the child’s throat, immediate airway management is crucial. If you are unsure or feel anxious, contact 119 immediately and follow their instructions. For infants under one year, place the child face down along your arm, give five firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the palm of your hand, then turn the child over and use two fingers to press quickly and firmly five times just below the nipple line. Repeat these actions until the object is expelled.

If a child over one year old cannot speak or breathe, perform the Heimlich maneuver (abdominal thrusts). Stand behind the child, make a fist with one hand, place the other hand on top, and position your hands between the navel and ribcage, thrusting upward forcefully until the object is expelled. If necessary, have the child lean forward and deliver back blows as well. Only remove foreign objects from the mouth with your fingers if they are clearly visible; do not attempt to retrieve objects that are not visible.

In particular, immediate hospital care is necessary in the following cases: if an infant under three months old has a fever; if repeated vomiting prevents the child from drinking or eating, resulting in no urination for more than eight hours and suspected dehydration; if there is difficulty breathing or cyanosis (bluish lips); if the child has a seizure; if the child suddenly complains of severe abdominal pain, or if abdominal pain is accompanied by pallor, lethargy, repeated vomiting, or bloody stools; or if there is decreased consciousness, persistent headache, vomiting, or seizures following trauma, fracture, or head injury.

Bae Uri, Professor of Emergency Medicine at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, advised, "It is helpful to check in advance the contact information and location of emergency rooms and on-duty medical institutions in the area you will be visiting during the holiday." He added, "Trust the medical staff who are doing their best to respond quickly for your child's safety, and make sure you are familiar with medication instructions and warning signs. This will help prevent emergencies from escalating and aid your child's recovery."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.