Barking cough puts a child into a coma. What are some warning signs you need to look out for?

Following a barking cough spree, a little girl had to be hospitalized, and days later she was in a three-day-long induced coma. A dad shared this shocking revelation on a first aid educational site catering to parents, stating that, had he not followed his gut feeling and intervened at the right moment, his daughter would have been dead by now.

He goes on to say how everything seemed alright when he put her to sleep, but as soon as she woke up, things took a turn for the worse. Not wasting any time, the father then immediately called an ambulance.

Sharing excerpts from the incident, the dad wrote the following on the Tiny Hearts Education site:

“I was in my bedroom when I heard an odd barking sound, ran straight to her room and undid her sleep suit as fast as I could."

What actually helped him understand the symptoms were a few videos he had seen of signs of respiratory distress on the same site where he shared the anonymous story.

On consulting with an expert, the father found out that the reason behind his child's incessant coughing was croup, an infection of the upper airways that mostly affects children.

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What are some of the signs of barking cough or croup?

There are some symptoms of croup you need to look out for early detection (Image via freepik)

As mentioned, croup is an infection that affects the upper airways in children. It narrows these airways, thereby causing a hindrance to regular breathing, which then manifests in the form of a barking cough and breathing problems. Some of the common signs of croup one should look out for are:

• incessant loud coughing
• rough textured voice while speaking
• screeching noise while breathing
• visible signs of breathing difficulty

Some of the signs of breathing distress one should look out for are:

• noisy breathing while resting
• difficulty in breathing
• pale blue lips
• drowsiness and lethargy that cannot be accounted for
• agitated behaviour
• being unwell and pale

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What did the father do when his child developed symptoms of barking cough?

When it comes to matters concerning your close ones, it is best that you follow your gut instincts (Image via freepik/stockking)

When the father noticed some unusual symptoms in his child, he immediately called in the paramedic. The medical expert then looked into his daughter's symptoms and diagnosed it as croup.

Although the health officials advised against hospitalization, the father decided to follow his instincts and get her admitted to an emergency ward. In just one hour, the child went through another bout of croup attack. When the authorities shifted her to the general ward and kept her under medication, the father yet again decided to keep the child in the hospital overnight, despite the hospital's suggestions against it.

Within 30 minutes of this incident, the child was again unable to breathe, following which she was put on heavy medication. However, her body failed to respond to it, and she had to be put in an induced coma for 3 days. The father did not reveal what happened to her after that, but based on the account of the incident, it can be presumed that the child made a full recovery.

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As parents of young children, it is important that you remain vigilant about some common symptoms of specific diseases so that fast action can be taken. Some signs, like a cold or cough, may be easily ignored based on their frequency, but a little awareness about their associated implications goes a long way.