When Is It a Real Paediatric Emergency? | Manipal Hospital Yelahanka | Dr. Dilip Kumar Venkatesan

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:04]Hello everyone. I'm Dr. Dilip Kumar, your pediatric emergency and pediatric consultant at Manipal Hospitals, Yelahanka. In children, it is always necessary to differentiate the differences between a perceived emergency [music] versus an actual emergency. While parental anxiety and parental concerns [music] play a vital role in child's management, it is also important to differentiate the thing between a real emergency versus a perceived emergency.

[00:00:29][music] This is important because studies have shown that almost nearly 80 to 85% of children who [music] visit pediatric emergencies are not real emergencies, whereas only 20 to 25% are actual emergencies. So, why this gap happens? [music] This is because as a parent, they are very much anxious when the child feels sick or unwell. But, at the same time, it is very much important to know the danger signs. For example, in cases of fever, it is very much normal for a child to have high-grade [music] fever, but very much active during the inter-febrile period. That is, when the child is not having fever.

[00:01:05]If the child is like this, then simple, [music] it is not an actual emergency.

[00:01:09]Then, you can show the child the next day. Second, if the child has one or [music] two episodes of vomiting or loose stools, that is absolutely fine.

[00:01:16]But, if the child is not taking anything orally, very much dull, has sunken eyes, has not passed urine for more than 8 to 12 hours, all these points towards an actual emergency. Thirdly, having a common cold is fine.

[00:01:31]>> [music] >> But, if you have any danger signs like fast breathing or increased efforts of breathing, then it shows that it is a real emergency. Children tends to [music] fall multiple times, right?

[00:01:41]Hence, simple falls with the child being active is absolutely normal. But, if your child is having irritability or not behaving normally or having [music] any loss of consciousness with multiple episodes of vomiting, has to be seen [music] immediately.