Moderate to severe difficulty breathing in children

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Difficulty breathing can occur when a child's lungs or heart are not working well.

The child:

Breathes fast.
Tires during feeding and may stop often to catch his or her breath. This may cause the child to lose interest in food and eat less.
Needs to use his or her abdominal muscles to breathe.
Has pale, slightly gray, or blotchy skin, particularly the face, hands, and feet. The tongue, gums, and lips still look pink.

The child:

Breathes very fast or grunts with each breath.
Looks anxious or exhausted during feeding or is unable to nurse or take a bottle.
Uses his or her neck, chest, and abdominal muscles to breathe, causing a "sucking in" between or under the ribs (retractions).
May flare his or her nostrils when breathing in.
May need to sit up and lean forward or tilt the nose up as if sniffing the air.
May fight any attempt to change his or her position.
Has pale, gray, or bluish skin (especially the tongue, lips, earlobes, and nail beds), or the skin is mottled (patchy pale and blue pattern).

Credits

Author	Jeannette Curtis
Author	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor	Tracy Landauer
Associate Editor	Pat Truman
Primary Medical Reviewer	Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Last Updated	May 25, 2007

Last updated:	May 25, 2007
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman

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