00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 Our kids may seem like just little adults in many ways,
00:05 but when it comes to keeping those little bodies safe
00:08 from this big heat, there's some key differences
00:10 all parents need to know.
00:12 Nick Saletti with our sister station in Phoenix
00:14 spoke with an emergency room doctor
00:16 to break down the most common mistakes parents make.
00:19 I'm inside the emergency room
00:22 here at Phoenix Children's Hospital
00:24 where doctors have been treating patients all summer
00:26 for heat-related illnesses,
00:27 especially in the last few weeks.
00:29 And it turns out there's a lot of things
00:31 that you might be doing right now,
00:33 thinking you're helping your kids,
00:34 but it could be doing more harm than good.
00:36 Cooped up indoors these past few weeks
00:39 because of that sweltering summer sun, you're not alone.
00:43 And it's hard to keep your kids safe inside
00:45 and not wanting to go outside in the really high heat,
00:47 which can be dangerous for them for sure.
00:49 Dr. Karen Sadillo sees those dangers firsthand
00:53 as an emergency room physician here at Phoenix Children's.
00:56 She says before kids even step foot in the hospital,
01:01 parents play a pivotal, potentially life-saving role.
01:05 In a lot of cases, kids just don't have the words,
01:08 the language to be able to say to their parents,
01:11 "I don't feel right."
01:12 Exactly, and so in some cues
01:14 that you can take from your children,
01:16 "I'm hot, I'm thirsty, I'm tired,"
01:19 those are all things that kids can say
01:20 on a daily basis anyway.
01:22 But if you're outside and you know
01:24 that you are also hot and thirsty and tired,
01:26 then that may be a time to be able to come inside,
01:29 cool down.
01:30 What signs should you look for?
01:33 Red, hot, beat face, breathing fast and hard.
01:37 Certainly later signs would be like not acting normally.
01:40 If your child does seem to be overheated,
01:42 there are steps you can take at home first
01:45 before you head to the ER.
01:47 Take their clothes off, any restricting clothes off.
01:49 You can put them in a cool bath.
01:51 Why not an ice bath?
01:52 Why just a cool bath?
01:54 So you certainly can cause some shock to the system
01:58 if you just throw a super overheated child
02:00 and dunk them in an ice bath.
02:02 It's different when an athlete is cooling down
02:04 and they take ice baths.
02:05 And when would it be time to bring a child here
02:08 to the emergency room?
02:09 If they are altered in their mental status,
02:12 so not making sense, they're passing out,
02:16 if they have persistent vomiting,
02:18 if they are hot to the touch but not sweating.
02:21 Dr. Cedillo says those could all be signs
02:24 your child is having a heat stroke,
02:26 which can happen if their body temperature
02:29 reaches 104 degrees or higher.
02:31 If we were to have a child that came in with heat stroke,
02:34 we would expose them so we would take off the shirt.
02:38 Here inside the ER, Dr. Cedillo demonstrates on a mannequin
02:42 how she would treat a patient for a potential heat stroke.
02:45 We have ice packs ready.
02:48 And so instead of like a full straight on ice bath,
02:51 what we would do is put them in their armpits.
02:54 We also can have these blankets and we wet them.
02:57 And this is just a bed sheet.
03:00 Dr. Cedillo's can also administer fluids through an IV
03:03 or in more serious cases, nasally,
03:06 through the rectum or through the stomach.
03:08 But she says the idea is to never let it get to that point.
03:12 What do you think is the biggest mistake parents make
03:15 when it comes to heat related illness in their kids?
03:17 I would say probably waiting too long
03:21 to bring them inside.
03:22 Like if the parents are already hot
03:25 and starting to get symptoms,
03:26 their children are gonna have those symptoms earlier.
03:29 And then also waiting too long
03:30 to come to the emergency room.
03:32 And something else Dr. Cedillo says is when you're swimming,
03:35 you might think you're cooling off,
03:36 but you can still overheat in the pool.
03:39 So make sure you're taking breaks,
03:40 getting in the shade when you can, using sunscreen,
03:42 and of course, drinking plenty of fluids.
03:45 It really could make a big difference.
03:47 Reporting here inside the emergency room
03:49 at Phoenix Children's. Nick Celletti, ABC 15, Arizona.
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