My 11-month-old Has Been Sick For 5 Days With Very

Posted on Fri, 25 Oct 2019

Question: My 11-month-old has been sick for 5 days with very bad congestion and red watery eyes. His O2 (according to his Owlet) has dropped to 89 when sleeping but is at 91-93 when awake. This morning he has a wet cough. He was 6 weeks premature and got RSV at 12 weeks. Should I take him in to be seen by his doctor or keep him home with rest and fluids? I have been running a humindifier, patting his back with a silicone cup to break up the congestion, using saline spray, and suctioning out his nose. Is there anything else I should be doing?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Jain (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Get him evaluated by a pediatrician

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Thanks for asking on this platform

I have gone through the query and do understand your concern.
Congestion with low oxygen saturation in room air suggests some kind of narrowing of airways.
In most of the cases it is viral or allergic. There are other viruses also apart from RSV which can lead to such condition.
Giving fluids, using humidifier, nasal suction, saline spray and chest physiotherapy; all are good in this condition.
As oxygen saturation is low he may need some bronchodilator (oral or inhaler form) like levosalbutamol to relieve airway spasm if it is there. Hence I would suggest you to get him evaluated by a pediatrician as the condition may worsen further.

I hope this helps.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D