Pediatric Patient Loses Spontaneous Respirations

Matthew, a 6-year-old male, has been feeling increasingly short of breath throughout the course of the morning. His father also notices that over the last several days he’s been appearing increasingly tired with a cough. Matthew is watching TV on the floor in the living room when his father enters the room and finds him unresponsive and apneic. He calls 9-1-1. The Call Paramedics respond immediately, but the response is uneventful. They arrive on scene and are met outside by the patient’s father, who takes them into the house and tells them his son has been feeling ill over the past several days but wasn’t given any medications. He also tells the crew his son has a history of myasthenia gravis. The crew proceeds into the living room, where they encounter the patient lying on the floor in the left lateral position. His eyes are open but he’s unable to speak or provide any additional information; he appears unable to take a deep breath. On initial assessment, the patient has no evidence of stridor or drooling. He has a dusky appearance to his skin and, when he does take a breath, has clear and equal breath sounds bilaterally with no evidence of intercostal muscle usage. He’s noted to have some drooping of his eyelids and is unable to hold himself in the sitting position. The patient is placed on a monitor and initial vitals are taken. The patient has a heart rate of 96, a respiratory rate of 9, a blood pressure of 88/52 and an oxygenation saturation of 63% on room air...
Source: JEMS Special Topics - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Case of the Month Pediatrics Airway & Respiratory Source Type: news