Jul 2, 2018

Dr. Gellner: What is RSV and how can I protect my baby? That's today'southward topic. I'1000 Dr. Cindy Gellner for The Telescopic.

Announcer: Keep your kids healthy and happy. You are now entering "The Healthy Kids Zone" with Dr. Cindy Gellner on The Scope.

What Is RSV?

Dr. Gellner: So RSV is a common virus that usually affects the nose, throat, and lungs. RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus. And, normally, for kids over the age of two and adults, it's merely like a bad common cold. But for those under two years old, and especially preemie babies, this tin be very severe.

Symptoms of RSV are usually common common cold symptoms: cough, runny nose. The difference is the runny nose is going to be significantly mucusy, copious amounts of mucus. You can get some redness of the eyes, cough, sore, scratchy throat. In kids under the age of two, especially premature babies, we worry about something called bronchiolitis.

Bronchiolitis

And so in bronchiolitis, the virus attacks the modest airways of the lungs, and information technology can cause cough, wheezing, fast breathing, and trouble breathing where they are doing what's chosen retractions. They're animate then hard that you can actually see them sucking in air, and you can run across indentations underneath their rib cage and in between their ribs, where they're really just trying to suck in as much air as possible.

When your pediatrician listens to your baby's lungs, if they have RSV and bronchiolitis, it actually sounds like Rice Krispies in the lungs; it'south just all crackly. Quite oftentimes, pediatricians are able to get a skillful idea if your child has RSV or not merely based on the symptoms. Days three through 5 of an RSV illness are the worst; that's when they're the most symptomatic and again we tin usually hear the crackles in the lungs. Nosotros can often take samples of mucus from the nose and test it for the virus to see if information technology is RSV then we know how to be a piddling fleck more aggressive with treating the viral disease your baby has, if it is positive.

RSV Treatment

Considering RSV is a virus, and not a leaner, antibiotics, unfortunately, will not assist treat RSV. Babies under the age of 1 quite ofttimes volition need some extra oxygen and even may be treated in the hospital if their bronchiolitis is so bad that their oxygen level is under 90 percent, and your doctor volition be checking your baby's oxygen if yous bring them in for these symptoms. And oftentimes if they are hospitalized, they are sent dwelling house with oxygen, and then in the office we tin help you wean your baby off of the oxygen. RSV illnesses are normally lasting seven to 21 days, but again, it's worst in the first iii to five days.

So if at that place'southward no real proficient medicine to treat RSV, how do I aid my child? Well, in that location are some cases when we do need to give some medicine. If yous accept a family history of asthma or your child has had a history of wheezing in the past, before getting RSV, and we hear wheezes going along with those crackles, we might them a handling of a breathing treatment chosen albuterol. Albuterol is likewise the medication that's in the fast-acting inhalers for asthma patients. If your child does well with them, with the albuterol, and then we can sometimes get a breathing handling automobile sent habitation with you and the medication for you.

The near of import matter that's going to help your child is sucking out their nose, and we all know how much they love that. Unfortunately sucking out the nose is going to exist the best thing for them. You're going to need to use nasal saline before you suction out the mucus. Nasal saline will really aid loosen upwards thick mucus so you can go it out easier, and then your child will be able to breathe more than easily. Sometimes, your physician will be able to requite you a prescription to the respiratory outpatient clinic here in Salt Lake City. You lot can take your baby to the clinics and they are run past respiratory therapists and they are able to practice deep suctioning. So they will stick a tube manner down in your baby's nose and really suction everything out. It's kind of similar Roto Rooter for your baby's olfactory organ. Only information technology really helps get the mucus out.

And those prescriptions are usually proficient for seven days, and the clinics are open 24 hours a 24-hour interval. They're really good nigh sending your physician a note through the fax or through the figurer to let them know you took your kid in that location and what happened. Did the suctioning help? Did they need a breathing treatment? Did they demand oxygen? Did they need to go admitted?

RSV Prevention

So how can you help forestall your child from getting RSV? One affair you tin can exercise is make sure that people wash their easily and sanitize earlier belongings your child and try to keep your baby away from people who have cold symptoms.

Unlike certain other viruses that we take vaccines for, there is no vaccine that tin can prevent RSV. However, babies who are born very prematurely--usually before 30 weeks of the pregnancy--or babies who accept sure types of middle affliction or chronic lung disease, may be able to be treated with a drug chosen Synagis. Now Synagis is a kind of antibody which can help forestall severe RSV infections. We used to remember that information technology would actually preclude your child from getting it, period.

Now nosotros now that it will help your baby's immune organization to fight off RSV if the baby gets it and prevent hospitalization and shorten the length of affliction. Your physician volition permit you know if your infant qualifies for Synagis. It's a very expensive medication and merely certain babies qualify through their insurance, but those babies who do qualify, nosotros make sure that they get the medicine that they demand.

And you're going to need to go along saline and the bulb sucker and a cool mist humidifier handy to help get the mucus out of your baby's olfactory organ if they get RSV. And if you call up your babe has RSV, delight have them seen by your pediatrician within the first few days that they are ill so we can help y'all take care of them.

Announcer: Accept a question about a medical procedure? Want to learn more than about a health condition? With over two,000 interviews with our physicians and specialists, there's a pretty skilful gamble y'all'll find what you desire to know. Check it out at TheScopeRadio.com.


updated: July ii, 2018
originally published: December one, 2014

Heart Health

Related Podcasts