

In the meantime, the child’s distress continues to worsen, and everyone in the room starts looking at you. They are all trying to keep him on the gurney, place monitor leads, place a nasal cannula for oxygen, and start looking for IV sites.

You follow her to the room, squeeze past 2 frightened parents, a crying grandparent, 2 other nurses, and an EMT student trying to get to the child. As you walk toward the coffee machine, the triage nurse runs by you carrying a toddler in her arms who is coughing, crying, and gasping for air. You’ve just come in for the early morning shift. Respiratory failure is the most common cause of cardiac arrest in children.1 The unexpected and rapid respiratory collapse of the pediatric patient can most often be avoided by early recognition of the severity of illness and should prompt initiation of appropriate therapies. Although uncommon, respiratory failure can rapidly ensue in some instances and cause cardiopulmonary arrest.

Emergency clinicians must utilize clues from both the history and physical examination to uncover the cause of the distress and then employ the most up-to-date modalities to prevent the child’s deterioration. Although many respiratory illnesses are due to upper respiratory tract infections, which are self-limited and need only parental reassurance, the emergency clinician must constantly be alert and prepared for the few children with an underlying condition that can progress to respiratory compromise or failure. Pediatric respiratory distress is a common and troubling presenting complaint to the emergency department (ED). Differential Diagnosis Of Difficulty Breathing Upper Airway Risk Management Pitfalls In The Treatment Of Difficulty Breathing.General Appearance And The Work Of Breathingīronchopulmonary Dysplasia / Chronic Lung DiseaseĬlinical Pathway: Emergency Department Evaluation Of Infants/Toddlers With Respiratory Distress (Not Wheezing)Ĭlinical Pathway: Emergency Department Evaluation Of Wheezing Infants And ToddlersĬlinical Pathway: Emergency Department Approach to Infant/Child Difficulty Breathing
