Yesterday I was writing about corneal abrasions and the medications that a physician will likely prescribe after such an injury occurs. It occurred to me today that listing some good links on "how to" administer eye drops (and other prescribed medications) to infants or toddlers would be a good idea.
Based on my past years of working as a pediatric registered nurse, I know how difficult it can be to medicate infants and toddlers. In order to give the medication with the minimum of fuss, it's best to swaddle (wrap) an infant gently but firmly in a receiving blanket so that the baby's arms are fixed at his/her side. For an older toddler, it may very well take two people to give necessary medication.
Here are two websites with rather nice information about how to give medication to infants and toddlers:
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children: How to Give your Child Eye Drops
From the Ohio State University Medical Center: How to Give Your Baby Medicine by Mouth
Follow the Doctor's Orders
Give your child medication that is prescribed for him or her. Don't borrow or share medication meant for someone else. Store the medication as directed by your pharmacist's instructions. Most antibiotics will need to be refrigerated. Continue to give the prescribed medication for the entire period that the doctor has ordered. Don't stop the medication early because the child "seems better." Doing so can cause lingering infections that become resistant to the medication.
Do Not Give . . .
Never give aspirin to infants or children. Check the lable of any medication you intend to give. If any of the ingredients contain salycilic acids don't give your child the medication. Check the labels on all of your over-the-counter medications. Look for "black box" warning labels and other instructions to parents. Recently many cold and cough medications have been deemed dangerous to young children and the new packaging reflects such information.
Talk to your pharmacist . . .
Pharmacists do more than fill your prescriptions. They will gladly discuss over-the-counter medications with you and help you find appropriate options for your child. In addition, consult your pharmacist to determine whether or not the prescribed medication can be made more palatable for your child--by adding "better" tasting flavors by compounding the medication.
. . . .
Showing posts with label Reye's Syndrome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reye's Syndrome. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Kawasaki Syndrome
With sadness, I read of the sudden death of John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett. The family has my sincere condolences, and I can only imagine the profound shock and sorrow that they are now experiencing. The current media scrutiny regarding Jett's medical history is cruel, in my opinion, and can only be adding to the family's grief.
The Travoltas absolutely have the right to religious freedom and are entitled to confidentiality regarding their child's medical history. I can't see any benefit for speculation or criticism regarding the young man's health. Both John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston have been vocal in the past about their son's very serious bought with Kawasaki Syndrome when he was less than two years of age. The assertion that Kawasaki's Syndrome (a.k.a. Kawaski Disease) has some bearing on Jett's death at age 16 remains to be seen pending the result of his autopsy.
Early in my nursing career, I specialized in pediatrics and worked at Providence Memorial Hospital in El Paso, Texas. I remember only two children with Kawasaki's Syndrome in the few years that I worked there. In each case, the patient was just at toddler age and suffering from very high fevers (104-105 degrees F), the classic red, swollen, and pitted tongue (described as strawberry tongue), and a firey-red rash, particularly on the extremities. The rash eventually sloughed off leaving bits of peeling skin on the palms and soles of the feet. Other symptoms added to the child's misery: joint pain, sore throat, malaise, and conjunctivitis. Typically these kids were several days into the course of the febrile illness before it was clearly diagnosed as Kawasaki's Disease (as there are many febrile illnesses that occur in childhood). As soon as it was a definite diagnosis, attention was made to preventing any coronary artery complications by starting the child on daily aspirin [note: children on aspirin-therapy should receive an annual flu shot to avoid Reye's Syndrome.] In addition they were treated with intravenous immunoglobulin to boost their immune system. We would typically have these children hospitalized for days until they recovered sufficiently to go home. Thankfully, it's a rare condition. Unfortunately the specific cause of Kawasaki's Syndrome is still unknown.
To quickly access reliable information about Kawaski's Disease, I'm recommending "Kawasaki Syndrome" from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and two scholarly articles, (1) an April 2008 article published on Medscape, "Pediatrics, Kawasaki Disease," and (2) from May 2007, Journal of Internal Medicine, "Acute Kawasaki Disease: Not Just For Kids."
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The Travoltas absolutely have the right to religious freedom and are entitled to confidentiality regarding their child's medical history. I can't see any benefit for speculation or criticism regarding the young man's health. Both John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston have been vocal in the past about their son's very serious bought with Kawasaki Syndrome when he was less than two years of age. The assertion that Kawasaki's Syndrome (a.k.a. Kawaski Disease) has some bearing on Jett's death at age 16 remains to be seen pending the result of his autopsy.
Early in my nursing career, I specialized in pediatrics and worked at Providence Memorial Hospital in El Paso, Texas. I remember only two children with Kawasaki's Syndrome in the few years that I worked there. In each case, the patient was just at toddler age and suffering from very high fevers (104-105 degrees F), the classic red, swollen, and pitted tongue (described as strawberry tongue), and a firey-red rash, particularly on the extremities. The rash eventually sloughed off leaving bits of peeling skin on the palms and soles of the feet. Other symptoms added to the child's misery: joint pain, sore throat, malaise, and conjunctivitis. Typically these kids were several days into the course of the febrile illness before it was clearly diagnosed as Kawasaki's Disease (as there are many febrile illnesses that occur in childhood). As soon as it was a definite diagnosis, attention was made to preventing any coronary artery complications by starting the child on daily aspirin [note: children on aspirin-therapy should receive an annual flu shot to avoid Reye's Syndrome.] In addition they were treated with intravenous immunoglobulin to boost their immune system. We would typically have these children hospitalized for days until they recovered sufficiently to go home. Thankfully, it's a rare condition. Unfortunately the specific cause of Kawasaki's Syndrome is still unknown.
To quickly access reliable information about Kawaski's Disease, I'm recommending "Kawasaki Syndrome" from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and two scholarly articles, (1) an April 2008 article published on Medscape, "Pediatrics, Kawasaki Disease," and (2) from May 2007, Journal of Internal Medicine, "Acute Kawasaki Disease: Not Just For Kids."
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