Hi,I am Dr. Santosh Kondekar (Pediatrician). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
Child Accidentally Drank Kerosene. Coughing Constantly, Spit Up A Little. Red Spots On Eyelids. Serious?
hi my 3 years old son few minutes a go drank some kerosene from a soda bottle by mistake he stared coughing very hard he could barely speak ... i didnt know what to do so my inmediate response was to make him vomit he couldnt he just spit a lil .. now hes asleep guess he got tired from all the coughing but i noticed there some lil red spots on his eyelids .... and some more coughing ive been reading saya here i should take him to the ER but im out of the US now ... Is there anything i can do here at home ?
Please do not panic.
Do not try to make him vomit again.
If he vomits or is deeply asleep turn him to side with head end low to avoid choking by stomach contents.
His eyelid spots are due to leakage of blood from tiny fragile capillaries in eyelids secondary to forceful straining during attempted vomiting.
There is no specific antidote of kerosene poisoning.
Do not give him anything to eat/drink.
CALL AMBULANCE OR REGIONAL POISON CENTER.
Wishing him speedy recovery.
It is understandable and natural that you thought to induce vomiting but it is not recommended because the kerosine can then enter the respiratory tract and result in breathing problems.
Though ingestion can result in no complications in some children, it would be best to take him to be assessed as soon as possible.
Ingestion of even 1 ml can potentially cause problems. He should have a chest x ray, if this is normal and he has no symptoms then he will be allowed home.
If the xray is normal he would be observed for a few hours, even if there are no symptoms.
If he is symptomatic , then he may need admission for a short time for treatment which would mainly involve making sure he has no difficulty breathing (giving him oxygen for a short time).
He should be perfectly fine but you need to take him to see someone
We use cookies in order to offer you most relevant experience and using this website you acknowledge that you have already read and understood our
Privacy Policy
Child Accidentally Drank Kerosene. Coughing Constantly, Spit Up A Little. Red Spots On Eyelids. Serious?
Please do not panic. Do not try to make him vomit again. If he vomits or is deeply asleep turn him to side with head end low to avoid choking by stomach contents. His eyelid spots are due to leakage of blood from tiny fragile capillaries in eyelids secondary to forceful straining during attempted vomiting. There is no specific antidote of kerosene poisoning. Do not give him anything to eat/drink. CALL AMBULANCE OR REGIONAL POISON CENTER. Wishing him speedy recovery.