Introduction
Cases that involve infants require increased attention. The mother in the presented case is concerned about her infant’s nasal congestion because it has gone on for 48 hours. This paper will provide a recommendation of over the counter treatment that the patient could purchase to help their child.
Recommendation
Before suggesting any specific treatment or medication, I would ask the following questions: “Is the child allergic to anything?”, “Have you noticed any signs of a rash?” and “Does the baby act more agitated than usual?” After asking these questions, I would be ready to give a recommendation. Nasal congestion is a common case among infants and does not require medication. To stop the mucus, I would suggest purchasing saline nose drops.
Only two to three drops are needed for each nostril with around 60 seconds of waiting in between the drops. The drops should clear up the nasal congestion, and after a week of use, the issue should be resolved. As an alternative method of treatment, a nasal aspirator may be used. It is a rubber bulb that sucks out the blockage. It may be a preferable option because it can be cleaned and reused in the future. The mucus does not “dry up” however, and it should not because infant nasal glands are highly sensitive and have to be lubricated. These solutions just remove the blockage that prevents it from flowing freely. No actions should be done to “dry up” the mucus in the future.
I did not recommend any medication because this issue did not require it. Nasal congestion is an extremely common condition and usually stops after a week on its own. The child has no fever and does not have problems eating which suggest that no larger issue exists. However, the mucus flow is likely to be unpleasant for the child, and it provides additional stress for the mother that is already worried about the child.
The recommended solutions have been thoroughly tested to be safe and effective in such cases, which should guarantee a faster and less stressful recovery for the child (Chirico, Quartarone, & Mallefet, 2014; Farrer, 2017; Jarvis et al., 2014; Schreiber et al., 2016). It is also important to educate the mother on the reasons for this condition because her description of the issue included words “dry up” as a solution to the problem, while in fact the nose congestion could be caused by the dryness of baby’s nose.
If the patient follows the recommendation, the issue should be resolved quickly, and the child will be able to continue breathing freely. However, if the parent notices a fever, signs of a rash, swelling of the face areas or issues with breathing and eating, the child should be examined by a medical professional.
Conclusion
The issues with children can be extremely sensitive. The infant described in the case does not show any negative signs that could mean a larger issue than nasal congestion. Therefore this issue does not require any medication. Instead, saline solution drops or a nasal aspirator should be used to remove the blockage in the child’s nose. The patient should also be educated about the condition to avoid misunderstandings about it. The issue should resolve itself after a week. However, if it does not, the child will require additional attention from medical professionals.
References
Chirico, G., Quartarone, G., & Mallefet, P. (2014). Nasal congestion in infants and children: a literature review on efficacy and safety of non-pharmacological treatments. Minerva Pediatrica, 66(6), 549–557.
Farrer, F. (2017). Blocked nose in infants. South African Pharmacist’s Assistant, 17(1), 22–23.
Jarvis, K., Pirvu, D., Barbee, K., Berg, N., Meyer, M., Gaulke, L., … Roberts, C. (2014). Change to a standardized airway clearance protocol for children with bronchiolitis leads to improved care. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 29(3), 252–257. Web.
Schreiber, S., Ronfani, L., Ghirardo, S., Minen, F., Taddio, A., Jaber, M., … Barbi, E. (2016). Nasal irrigation with saline solution significantly improves oxygen saturation in infants with bronchiolitis. Acta Paediatrica, 105(3), 292–296. Web.