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One of a parents greatest fears is that their child will be put in danger. This danger may be physical, mental/emotional, or their health may be put at risk. When a child has a stroke they face all of those dangers. Although signs and symptoms of stroke have become more widely known, most only relate to adults. Few people know how to recognize if a young child or infant is showing signs of a stroke.

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Steps

  1. Know if Your Infant or Child Is Having or Has Had a Stroke Step 1.jpg
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    Identify signs or symptoms of stroke. Stroke in the pediatric realm is most common before one year of age, and usually right around birth. Below are a list of signs and symptoms.
    • Infant is extremely fussy; at times unable to be calmed.
    • Infant Heart Monitor indicates missing T-wave or other EKG changes. The heart can be monitored by an electrocardiogram (EKG). Each beat of the heart is triggered by electrical impulses. The EKG records these electrical signals. The doctor then uses these signals to know what the heart is doing. When there is an irregular heart signal it often means that something in the body is not responding or functioning in the way that it should. The brain is in charge of regulating the heart rate so there are often EKG changes when someone has a stroke.
    • Fluctuating MAP. MAP stands for Mean Arterial Pressure. It is the average blood pressure. Health.com put out an article in May of 2010 that stated that research shows that "Fluctuating Blood Pressure Ups Stroke Risk."
    • Blood flow to extremities is bad and reflexes slow if at all.
    • Hypoxemia. This means that something is obstructing the flow of oxygen through the blood, resulting in low blood oxygen levels.
    • Infant has a seizure. About 10 percent of infant seizures are stroke related.
    • Weakness on one side is noticeable. It is easiest to see in eye and mouth, especially while eating. This may be hard to catch and may go unnoticed as infants have spastic or little movement.
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  2. Know if Your Infant or Child Is Having or Has Had a Stroke Step 2.jpg
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    Notify Doctor. If two or more of the conditions listed above are noticed, notify doctor. It is better to be overcautious then under. Bring the symptoms to his/her attention and make sure that they are aware and find out if they have concerns. If they don't, find out why. If one of the symptoms is a seizure, whether other symptoms are apparent or not, the doctor should be notified immediately.
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    Continue to monitor the infant. If it is determined that the infant has indeed had a stroke, further steps will be taken to insure that they receive the rehabilitation and treatment needed. Although stroke is not extremely common, it is good to know how to identify one. A parent of an infant or child doesn't care how often it happens, they only wish that they would have known more about the signs and symptoms and could have done more.
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  • Usually the symptoms of stroke in children released from the hospital primarily include:
    • Seizure
    • Hemiparesis. This means that they favor one side of their body. If a child is "right" or "left" handed at 6 months to a year, it often means there is something wrong. Few children show preference to a particular side until they are over 18 months old.
    • Developmental Delays. Occasionally parents will just think their child is "a little behind." Doctors will search to find out what is causing the delay. If they find other reasons (such as minor paresis) they may in turn do an MRI which will show that at some point in the child's life they had a stroke.
  • The same steps apply to children:
    • Notice signs or symptoms of stroke. If the child or infant is no longer in the hospital, the symptoms will be harder to notice. MAPs will not be taken, their heart will not be being monitored, and all infants may seem cranky, especially to first time parents or to parents that have not had an infant in their home for awhile.
    • Notify Doctor.
    • Continue to monitor the child.

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Categories: Childhood Health

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