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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Treatment For Shortness Of Breath And Cough After Injury

My son fell off a trampoline at a friends house. He got the wind knocked out of him. I felt around on his chest and back but he said nothing hurt. he said it just took him a few minutes to catch his breath. Now he has a cough. I have only heard him cough twice in the last 4 hours, but it is a hard cough. Is this normal?
Wed, 26 Nov 2014
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ENT Specialist,  's  Response
Hi. Thank you for writing to HCM.

In my opinion he needs to be observed for about 24 hours. The cough may be due to bronchial irritation after the injury. You can do this and look for any worsening breathlessness or increase in frequency of coughing (>4-5 times in 5 minutes). Also if he has any difficulty such as worsening of coughing while sipping fluids (start with small sips of water) or if he has any limitation of movements of his arm ( clavicular fracture). Also it may be useful to ask him if there is any specific point on his chest or back that is painful to touch (costal/sternal fractures).

If he has any of the above or develops fever in the next 24 hours then he needs to be taken to the ER for an evaluation. X ray chest or a CT may be necessary in that case. If all is well for 24 hours then he can resume normal duties and be more careful on the trampoline next time.

Hope this is useful. Do let me know if you have any other concerns.
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Suggest Treatment For Shortness Of Breath And Cough After Injury

Hi. Thank you for writing to HCM. In my opinion he needs to be observed for about 24 hours. The cough may be due to bronchial irritation after the injury. You can do this and look for any worsening breathlessness or increase in frequency of coughing ( 4-5 times in 5 minutes). Also if he has any difficulty such as worsening of coughing while sipping fluids (start with small sips of water) or if he has any limitation of movements of his arm ( clavicular fracture). Also it may be useful to ask him if there is any specific point on his chest or back that is painful to touch (costal/sternal fractures). If he has any of the above or develops fever in the next 24 hours then he needs to be taken to the ER for an evaluation. X ray chest or a CT may be necessary in that case. If all is well for 24 hours then he can resume normal duties and be more careful on the trampoline next time. Hope this is useful. Do let me know if you have any other concerns.