Pediatric Emergency Care

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that can make it hard for a child to breathe.

Although asthma can be treated with medication, exposure to certain allergens like pet dander or pollen, or a respiratory infection from the flu or a cold, can trigger an asthma attack where a child may need more than just their current medication.

A child with asthma should be taken to a pediatric emergency room if they:

• Can't breathe or catch their breath
• Cough that will not stop
• Feel a tightness in their chest
• Have lips that turn blue or purple
• Have trouble speaking in full sentences
• Lose consciousness
• Severely wheezing

At the emergency room, our team can provide additional asthma treatments, such as steroids, oxygen therapy and intensive care to help with urgent needs. We can also follow up with your child's pediatric allergist and immunologist to discuss their visit.

A broken bone can be a very scary and painful experience for a child. Your child can be treated at local urgent care if the fractured bone is not life-threatening or only located in a small bone — such as the fingers or toes.

However, your child should be taken for emergency care for more extensive breaks, with more tools and treatment options.

Extensive breaks might include:

• Locations in the face, head, neck, arms or legs
• Have broken through the skin
• Is accompanied by heavy bleeding
• Misaligned fracture
• Restrict blood circulation

Any time a child complains that they’re unable to breathe properly or feel pain in their chest, it should be treated as a medical emergency — either call 911 or take them to the nearest emergency room.

Other signs your child may be having breathing difficulties or chest pain include:

• Blue or purple tint to their lips or skin
• Confusion
• Dizziness or faintness
• Flaring of their nostrils
• Gasping for air
• Unable to speak

It’s not uncommon for children to have a fever when they’re sick with a cold, the flu or strep throat.

However, if their temperature reaches 105°F or more, they need immediate care.

Any child under the age of 3 months should be taken to the emergency room for rapid medical attention if they have any type of fever.

You should take your child for pediatric emergency care if they have a high fever accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms:

• Bluish tinge to lips or nails
• Breathing issues
• Dehydration
• Diarrhea or vomiting
• Not eating
• Rash
• Stiff neck
• Stomach pain
• Very tired or drowsy
• Won't stop crying

While strokes are more common in adults, they can also occur in children. If your child suddenly experiences vision loss, slurred speech or numbness on one side of their body, these can be signs of a pediatric stroke and require immediate medical attention.

If you suspect your child has been poisoned, call 911 or immediately take them to your closest pediatric ER.

Signs a child may have been poisoned include:

• Abdominal pain
• Breathing difficulties
• Confusion or disorientation
• Fainting or dizziness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Seizures
• Strange breath odor
• Unconsciousness
• Uncontrolled drooling

If your child needs any imaging, such as an X-ray or testing of their blood or urine, our onsite imaging and lab testing help to ensure these tests are done quickly, giving you fast results.

Our pediatric-trained radiologists understand that any diagnostic imaging can be scary for kids. They’re there to talk you and your child through the entire process to help alleviate their fears.

Our certified child life specialists are also on hand to help you and your child through imaging or lab tests as easily and comfortably as possible.

If a child injures or breaks their still-growing bones, they need medical care specially designed to ensure their injury is fully healed so it does not impact their mobility as they get older.

AdventHealth’s Pediatric Orthopedic Care program offers a specialized approach to diagnosing, treating and managing all childhood musculoskeletal problems with specialized treatment plans.

AdventHealth offers IV services for children who may require IV fluids due to dehydration from an illness or medications delivered through an IV.

Our pediatric emergency room offers IV services in the hospital, and our home health program also provides home infusion services and treatments.

Pain management for children can include medicinal options with doses specifically tailored to their ages.

We also emphasize using non-medication pain management therapies. These are considered safer and can help reduce any side effects that medications may cause. These types of therapies might include:

• Comfort touch, such as rocking or swaddling
• Controlled breathing techniques
• Distractions, like watching videos or listening to stories
• Hot and cold therapy
• Play therapy
• Massage therapy
• Relaxation techniques

If you ever suspect your child has been poisoned, you should immediately call 911 or take them to your nearest pediatric emergency room.

We can quickly diagnose if your child has ingested a poison through our onsite laboratory testing so they can promptly provide them with medical care for the best possible outcome.

Kids can feel stress, anxiety and depression just like adults. These feelings can cause behavioral issues that can negatively impact their lives and overall health.

AdventHealth offers pediatric behavioral services as part of their emergency services, where children who are facing mental health challenges, learning difficulties or other developmental delays can receive the supportive and caring treatment they need to live their best lives.

If your child has accidentally swallowed or stuck up their nose a small toy or other object blocking their airway, they need immediate pediatric emergency care.

Our pediatric emergency room is set up to quickly extract foreign objects from children's noses and airways and assist with any foreign objects they may have swallowed.