fever Epiglottitis is always treated as an emergency. The doctor will intubate the child or perform a tracheotomy (in which an opening is made surgically in the windpipe). Intravenous fluids and antibiotics will be given, and the child's condition will be carefully watched. RELATED TOPICS: Asthma; Choking; Convulsions with fever: Fever 171 170 Quick Reference Cuts SYMPTOMS • Break in the skin • Bleeding HOME CARE • First, stop the bleeding. Apply firm pressure directly on the cut for ten minutes with sterile gauze or a clean cloth. • If the bleeding will not stop, get medical help immediately. • If the bleeding has stopped, wash the area with soap and water. Examine the cut to decide if a doctor should treat the wound. If so, call your doctor. If the cut can be cared for at home: • Apply a nonstinging antiseptic. • Draw the edges of the wound together with adhesive "butterfly" bandages. • Cover the wound with sterile gauze and a bandage to prevent infection. • Inspect the wound daily for signs of infection. • Remove the butterfly bandages only after the cut has completely healed (seven to ten days). PRECAUTIONS • Do not use a tourniquet to stop bleeding from a cut • If a cut needs stitching, it must be done within eight hours to avoid infection. • If a wound shows signs of infection (tenderness, swelling, discharge of pus, or red streaks spreading out from the wound), see your doctor. • Be sure your child receives tetanus boosters as recommended by your doctor. Wounds of the skin are classified as abrasions (scrapes), punctures. and lacerations. A laceration is a cut of any size and depth and can be located anywhere on the body. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS A cut is obvious from its appearance and the bleeding that occurs. However, there are signs and symptoms that you should look for to help you decide whether the cut needs a doctor's care or can be treated at home. Major cuts with serious bleeding obviously need a doctor's immediate attention; emergency control of bleeding is the only possible home treatment. For less severe cuts, consider the following characteristics: First, look at the depth of the cut. If a cut is more than skin deep, it should not be treated at home. Deeper structures (such as muscles, tendons, and nerves) must be repaired with stitches. Second, look for dirtiness or raggedness in the cut. A cut with ragged edges or with deeply embedded dirt needs professional care to avoid infection and to reduce scarring. Third, look at the width and location of the cut. A small cut rarely needs stitching to control the bleeding, but stitching may help reduce the amount of scarring. A cut heals leaving a scar the size of the opening of the skin. There is no treatment that will reduce the length of the scar. But the closer the edges of the cut are to each other during the healing process, the narrower the final scar will be. If a homemade bandage can hold the edges together for the seven to ten days required for healing, there may be no advantage to a doctor's treatment. three day