|Staying safe this summer|
Now that summer has arrived, we all look forward to picnics in the park, trips to the seaside and relaxing with friends in the garden; but as the temperature increases so does the risk of common medical emergencies such as sunburn, heat exhaustion and stings.
According to the Child Accident Prevention Trust, there is an increase in the number of serious accidents outdoors during the summer period and parents, as always, should take caution when children are around water and in the sun.
Heat exhaustion is a condition where the core temperature of the body increases above 38’C. As a child sweats, they lose some of the precious salt and nutrients that their body needs. The outcome of this is that they start to feel nauseous, look pale and sweaty, have a headache and feel drowsy. The treatment is an effective one: take them somewhere cool and shady and give them plenty of water and something to replace the lost salts, such as crisps or a salt replacement drink. Heat exhaustion can get worse and when a child’s core temperature reaches 40’C from long exposure to heat they can get seriously ill. In this situation it is important to call 999. This medical emergency is known as heat stroke and you can recognise the signs by:
· red, dry, flushed skin (with no sweat)
· floppy, drowsy and unresponsive
· confused and disorientated
· vomiting and a rapid pulse rate
After you have called 999, keep their head and shoulders raised and cool them down quickly by taking their clothes off, soaking them and then covering the child with the wet clothes; keep pouring water on them until the ambulance arrives. This heat-related condition may or may not be seen alongside sunburn. The best treatment for sunburn is to cool the burn for 10 minutes or longer before assessing the depth of the burn and the percentage of area it covers. Any burns which are red raw and blistering should be seen by a doctor. Never put ‘after sun’ or any oil based product on a burn until it is completely cooled because this risks trapping the heat in the skin and prolonging the damaged skin cells.
A less serious summer emergency is a wasp or bee sting. We have all heard the myth that wasps don’t leave their stings and bees do and this is 99% correct on most occasions. This is important in a first aid situation because if the sting is still embedded into the skin, it is important to remove it before treating. To remove a bee sting, use a credit card and place this under the sting, scrape the card upwards several times and you will flick the sting out. Do not use any instrument from above, such as tweezers or fingernails, as this may cause the sting to break and can leave part of it still embedded. Once the sting is out apply ice and/or a ‘waspees’ spray, which will help act as an antiseptic. Keep an eye out for a severe allergic reaction, known as anaphylaxis - this is where the body creates a hormonal reaction that affects the airways and circulation of the blood, making it hard to breathe and causing the child to go into anaphylactic shock. Signs for this:
· difficulty breathing
· rashes, hives, sudden spots on the body
· cold, clammy skin
· floppy, drowsy
· swollen lips, throat, mouth and airways
Dial 999 urgently, give them antihistamines if available and remove tight clothing; if the situation deteriorates you may need to resuscitate (CPR).
Don't forget you can ask any first aid question on our first-aid forum and it will be answered by a first aid expert from Surrey First Aid.