When Do I Take My Child to the Emergency Room?

Oct. 10, 2009— -- In the ongoing health care reform debate, one of the most pressing and difficult issues is emergency room visits.

Emergency rooms don't deny anyone -- anyone with minor ailments can show up.

So if it's your child and all you see and hear is blood, bruises, and screaming, you have an ER situation on your hands -- right? Perhaps not.

Dr. Marie Savard, "GMA" medical contributor and author of a new book, "Ask Dr. Marie -- Straight Talk and Answers to Your Most Private Questions -- Sex, Reproductive Health, Fertility, Menopause, Hormones," answers some questions about emergency rooms and your kids.

Q: Let's start with something we fear most in the current swine flu climate. What if a another kid (or a dog) bites your child and the skin is broken. Do you head to the ER?

Dr. Savard: Yes, if it's a human bite. Now, people fear that a child's mouth is more germy than a dog. But you don't get swine flu from a human bite. A bite won't pass on swine flu, but a sneeze could. What you should fear is the bacteria from the bite that can cause a severe infection.

Using the hospital's emergency department for a human bite is often the right thing to do. Emergency doctors generally have a lot of experience with bites and other wounds.

People who do not have a doctor or who cannot get in touch with their doctor may have to use the emergency department even for minor bites in order to get a tetanus shot, and a doctor's opinion of the need for other treatment, such as antibiotics.

Tips

Q: Your child does a face-plant off the playground slide and knocks her tooth loose or knocks out her tooth. Head to the ER?

Dr. Savard: No. Call the dentist instead.

Assuming it's a baby tooth that's affected, the dentist is likely to pull it if it's dangling. You don't want your child to inhale a tooth that's been knocked loose, but other than that, it's usually more of a cosmetic issue. Another reason to call your dentist: If the tooth gets shoved into the gum, it might damage the developing adult tooth, and the dentist will need to treat that, too.

If a baby tooth is whacked completely clear of the mouth, there's no need to save it. Put it under the pillow for the tooth fairy.

But if a bigger kid knocks out a permanent tooth, put it in a cup of milk [or salt water or even saliva]. Put it back in the socket as soon as possible -- [the] first 30 minutes is best -- and/or bring it and your child to the dentist immediately. He may be able to re-implant it.

Q: Your child gets hit in the eye with a "missile"-like toy from a naughty or jealous child in school or at the playground. Head to the ER?

Dr. Savard: Yes. Go to the ER.

Or call the eye doctor and see only if they can do an exam quickly. It's unlikely that you get to see an ophthalmologist without going to the ER.

When an eye injury does occur, it is always best to have an ophthalmologist [and that usually means a trip to the ER for referral/evaluation by an opthalmologist] to ER-examine the eye as soon as possible.