Respiratory Distress in Your Child With a Heart Problem: How to Care for Your Child

Respiratory distress means that a person is showing signs of breathing trouble. A child may have more than one sign of breathing trouble. Causes of respiratory distress in children include infection, ongoing illness such as heart failure, or a blocked airway. In a child with a history of heart disease, checking for respiratory distress is very important.

To check for trouble breathing, watch for these signs:

• Fast breathing. Count the number of times your child breathes in 1 minute (60 seconds). To do this, place your hand on your child's lower chest to check breathing. One rise and fall (a breath in and a breath out) counts as 1 breath. 

• Noisy breathing. Listen for grunting, wheezing, or other sounds that suggest there is mucus in the throat.

• Nostril flaring. Check to see if your child's nostrils (bottom of the nose) widen when breathing in. 

• Pale or bluish skin color. Look for this around the lips, eyes, hands and feet, and especially the fingernails and toenails.

• Retractions. Look to see if your child's chest pulls in with each breath, especially around the collarbone where the neck meets the chest and around the ribs.

• Head bobbing. Look to see if your child's head moves up and down with each breath.

• Mood change. Check to see if your child is sleepier, hard to awaken, fussier than usual, eating less, stopping to rest while eating, or just not acting like they normally do.

• Change in body position. Your child may change posture to try to breathe easier, like leaning forward or tilting their head up or backward.

• Sweating. Your child's head may be sweaty, but the skin does not feel warm to the touch. The skin may feel cool or clammy. This may happen when breathing is very fast.

• Faster heartbeat. Low oxygen levels can make your child's heart beat faster.

• Your child has any of the signs of trouble breathing.

• You have any concerns or questions.

If your child is having trouble breathing, call 911 or go to the closest emergency room.

How many times does a child breathe in 1 minute? When they're calm or asleep, the number of times kids breathe in a minute is:

A child who has trouble breathing may breathe much faster or slower than they usually do.

How can we help prevent respiratory infections in our child? To help prevent respiratory infections:

• Do not smoke around your child or let others do so. Children who are around smokers get twice as many respiratory infections and colds as those who are not. Smoke particles can build up on surfaces in rooms and in cars.

• Try to keep dust out of living areas.

• Do not use baby powder or cornstarch on your child. These products can bother a child's lungs.

• Teach everyone in your family to wash hands well and often to prevent the spread of germs.

• Keep your child away from people who are sick.