Head-on collision. When head injuries happen

Play time is an enjoyable time for everyone, especially the growing kids who hardly have a care in the world. Sadly, playtime may turn into something else when your child takes a nasty fall or hits their head hard. Fortunately, most childhood falls or blows on the head result in injury to the scalp only, which is usually more frightening than threatening. Read on to find out what to do in the event of a head injury.

External (Scalp) Injury
According to www.kidshealth.org, call the doctor if your child:

• Is an infant
• The child has lost consciousness
• Won’t stop crying
• Complains of head and neck pain
• Becomes difficult to console
• Isn’t walking normally

If the child is not an infant, is conscious, and is alert and behaving normally after the fall or blow:

• Apply a cold compress or instant cold pack to the injured area for 20 minutes.
• Observe your child carefully for the next 24 hours. If you notice any of the signs of internal injury, call your doctor immediately.
• If the incident has occurred close to bedtime or nap-time and your child falls asleep soon afterward, check in every few hours to look for twitching limbs or changes in skin colour or breathing.
• If your child’s breathing and skin colour is normal, and there are no other abnormalities, let your child sleep unless the doctor has advised otherwise.
• If colour and breathing are abnormal, or if you are uncomfortable with your child’s appearance, rouse your child partially by sitting him or her up. Your child should fuss a bit and attempt to resettle. If he or she doesn’t protest, try to awaken your child fully. If your child can’t be awakened or shows any signs of internal injury call the doctor or an ambulance.

Suspected Internal Injury
Any internal head injury-fractured skull, torn blood vessels, or damage to the brain itself can be serious and life threatening. Call an ambulance if your child shows any of these symptoms:

• Unconsciousness
• Disturbance of speech or vision
• Neck pain or stiffness
• Obvious serious wound or fracture
• Bleeding or clear fluid from the nose, ear, or mouth
• Abnormal breathing
• Vomiting more than two to three times
• Pupils of unequal size
• Signs of confusion
• Weakness or paralysis
• Dizziness
• Seizure
• Loss of bladder or bowel control

If your child is unconscious:
Do not try to move your child in case there is a neck or spine injury. Call for help. If you’ve been trained in cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) follow the recommendations. Turn a child who is vomiting or having a seizure onto his or her side while trying to keep the head and neck straight. This will help prevent choking and provide protection in case of neck and spine injury.

• If there’s a swelling, apply an ice pack or cold pack on it.

If your child is conscious:

• Do your best to keep your child calm and still
• Call for help
• If there’s bleeding, apply a sterile bandage
• Do not attempt to cleanse the wound, which may aggravate bleeding or cause serious complications if the skull is fractured
• Do not apply direct pressure to the wound if you suspect the skull is fractured
• Do not remove any object that’s stuck in the wound

END: BL 33/32-33