How to Deal with Respiratory Problems in Children

Lucy Piper: We all know the sense of panic that comes from shortness of the breath, and it’s a real concern to see your child with breathing problems. So, Sam can you tell us with a common breathing problems? Samantha Dunsmore: For children, particularly, conditions like croup, asthma and generalized chest infections are very common. Lucy Piper: So, how can I detect that if my child has got breathing problems? Samantha Dunsmore: Something like croup for example, if something that comes on quite suddenly, usually the wheeze follows at the night, I’m having experience this with my own son. I was working on by work I can only describe my son and he like a seal barking in his bedroom, it’s quite a specific noise of barking cough. Obviously, it’s very distressed and having some difficulty in breathing. Lucy Piper: So, what should we do if that happens? Is that anything to reassure and make them comfortable? Samantha Dunsmore: Reassurance is actually very important without overly smothering them because if you are having difficult in breathing, it does feel quite claustrophobic, but taking them into a bathroom turning the hot tap on and creating steamy atmosphere being aware of the safety of hot water would certainly help to ease the problem. Lucy Piper: So, what’s the difference with asthma? How does that differ? Samantha Dunsmore: Asthma is a diagnosed condition, so as first aid we can’t diagnose the first attack for example, but if something that causes spasms in the airway and there are lots of trick as one that can happen. It can happen night time, day time and it’s something that sometime eventually just learns to live with and is managed to a medication. Lucy Piper: So, with a child with croup, you’ve taken the child into the bathroom, into the steamy bathroom and if they child has asthma. Samantha Dunsmore: Again, all breathing problems respond better to be kept sat top, so keep the child sat top. If it’s a diagnosed condition they’ll have an inhaler to get them to take the inhaler. Lucy Piper: So, you’ve done all this, nothing is helping they’re still really suffering. Would we be wasting the ambulance’s time to get them call at that stage? Samantha Dunsmore: Absolutely not. Any breathing problem has the potential to become something much more serious, so it’s far better to call an ambulance and get the casualty checked properly; then wait until it’s too late. Lucy Piper: Thank you very much Sam. So, to summarize first things first, reassurance, positioning, unthickened challenge up. If it’s croup, go into a steamy bathroom, if it’s asthma use your inhaler, if it’s the first time it has happened and it’s not getting better, call an ambulance.