What to do if a child falls on his head? Parents should be cautious

We all know that the older children get, the more active they tend to be. So if parents are not careful, their children will fall. If the child falls on the head, parents will feel very worried, fearing that there will be problems with the brain. In fact, after a head fall, there is generally no problem if appropriate treatment is done. So, what should you do if a child falls on the head?

Symptom 1: A large red lump appears on the scalp, or there is swelling from front to back under the scalp. Soft cysts can be felt and there is a sense of fluctuation.

All of the above indicate scalp damage. The former is a scalp hematoma, which can be treated by yourself. Apply cold compress in the early stage to contract blood vessels and reduce bleeding. Apply hot compress after 24 hours to promote the absorption of blood stasis. However, if the hematoma is 5-6 cm in size, the above treatment will not be effective and the patient must go to the hospital to drain some of the blood. The latter is a subgaleal hematoma, which generally requires puncture and aspiration, followed by pressure and bandaging. All of these have to be performed by a doctor, so you should seek medical attention in time.

Symptom 2: There is an obvious wound on the head and blood is flowing.

Some children's heads and faces are covered in blood after falling or hitting their heads, which looks scary, but there is no need to panic too much. Bleeding indicates that there is a laceration on the scalp, which is usually caused by the head hitting a sharp object such as a nail or table corner when falling. At this time, you can press the bleeding hole with a clean gauze or towel, and then go to the hospital for stitches. But be careful not to do nothing and just let the bleeding continue to flow. When the amount of bleeding exceeds 300ml, it may lead to hemorrhagic shock.

Symptom 3: There is an obvious depression in the skull.

It is a manifestation of skull fracture. This type of fracture may compress the brain and cause damage, such as compressing the motor area and causing hemiplegia. You must go to the hospital as soon as possible. If the depression is too deep, a craniotomy may be required to repair the skull. There is another type of skull fracture called linear fracture, which is a line crack in the skull. Because it does not bear weight, there will be no obvious symptoms and it can only be discovered through X-rays or CT scans. Although most of these fractures do not require much treatment, we should also be wary of the possibility that the fracture may pass through large blood vessels and cause intracranial hematoma, leading to other injuries.