LucidResq
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So this morning on the Today show they did a segment on children and household poisons ("oh my god! that ammonia looks just like gatorade! lock everything!") and a suggestion they made was a little unsettling to me.
They said (and I believe someone from a poison control center also said) that a parent should call poison control instead of 911 if their child (or anyone) has ingested poison, unless they are not breathing, unconscious, or seizing (in those cases 911 should be called). They said that the vast majority of poisonings can be treated at home.
Hmmm... is it me or is that suggestion a little irresponsible? What if a child ingested poison and it's causing difficulty breathing, intense pain, burns, or altered mentation?
I mean the thing I really had a problem with was that they said call 911 if the child is NOT breathing, versus having difficulty breathing. What happens if the tyke is struggling to breathe so Mom calls poison control and while she's gabbing with them he stops breathing?
They said (and I believe someone from a poison control center also said) that a parent should call poison control instead of 911 if their child (or anyone) has ingested poison, unless they are not breathing, unconscious, or seizing (in those cases 911 should be called). They said that the vast majority of poisonings can be treated at home.
Hmmm... is it me or is that suggestion a little irresponsible? What if a child ingested poison and it's causing difficulty breathing, intense pain, burns, or altered mentation?
I mean the thing I really had a problem with was that they said call 911 if the child is NOT breathing, versus having difficulty breathing. What happens if the tyke is struggling to breathe so Mom calls poison control and while she's gabbing with them he stops breathing?
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