Respiratory Distress | Boston Children's Hospital (2024)

FAQs

What to do if a child is in respiratory distress? ›

Call 911 or take your child to the nearest emergency department if their lips or face turns bluish, if they're working hard to breathe, or if you think their life is in danger.

Common causes of paediatric respiratory distress include bronchiolitis, wheeze in the preschool child, asthma and pneumonia.

Signs and Symptoms

Grunting “ugh” sound with each breath. Changes in color of lips, fingers and toes. Widening (flaring) of the nostrils with each breath. Chest retractions - skin over the breastbone and ribs pulls in during breathing.

Children can stop breathing during a severe respiratory attack. If the coughing and wheezing don't settle, or if your child becomes more distressed or unwell, take them to your doctor or children's hospital straight away. Seek immediate medical help if: your child is having difficulty breathing.

What is the treatment for ARDS? Treatment for ARDS typically aims to increase blood oxygen levels, provide breathing support, and treat the underlying cause of the disease. Oxygen and Ventilation. Most ARDS patients are placed on a mechanical ventilator, usually in the intensive care unit of a hospital.

Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:

your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs. there are pauses when your child breathes. your child's skin, tongue or lips are blue. your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake.

An increase in the number of breaths per minute may mean that a person is having trouble breathing or not getting enough oxygen. Color changes. A bluish color seen around the mouth, on the inside of the lips, or on the fingernails may happen when a person is not getting as much oxygen as needed.

Wheezing. A tight, whistling or musical sound heard with each breath may indicate that the air passages may be smaller, making it more difficult to breathe. Stridor. A sound heard in the upper airway when the child breathes in.

increased breathing rate — If your child's breathing rate increases, this may indicate that she is having trouble breathing or not getting enough oxygen. color changes — A bluish color around your child's mouth, on the inside of her lips, or on her fingernails may occur when she is not getting enough oxygen.

Summary. Respiratory distress presents as tachypnea, nasal flaring, retractions, and grunting and may progress to respiratory failure if not readily recognized and managed.

What are critical nursing interventions for a child in respiratory distress? ›

Maintain open and patent airway with use of positioning, airway adjuncts and secretion clearance. Position to minimize the risk of aspiration, ventilation-perfusion mismatch and breathlessness. Minimize oxygen consumption and demand; limit activity, reduce fever and utilize breathing techniques.

Treatment for a child with respiratory distress should include: a position of comfort and supplemental oxygen. If a 2-year-old child with a foreign body airway obstruction becomes unresponsive, you should position him or her supine and then: perform chest compressions.

Treatment of Respiratory Distress

Keep the child in a position of comfort. Avoid agitating the child. Provide humidified high concentration oxygen by non-rebreather facemask. If not tolerated, provide blow by oxygen.

Clearing of airway, ensuring adequate breathing and circulation are the first line of management. A baby in obvious respiratory distress needs to be on continuous pulse oximeter monitoring to decide when intubation and ventilation is required.