The 3 warning signs that the flu is getting complicated

After the meetings and celebrations of the Christmas holidays, emergency services are usually filled with people with flu, colds and respiratory infections. However, Not all these infections evolve in the same way nor do they need immediate hospital care. While many people only have mild symptoms and can continue with their daily lives, in other cases the body sends clear warning signals that should not be ignored.

Knowing how to differentiate between what is expected and what is dangerous is essential both to avoid saturating health services and to go on time when a respiratory infection It’s getting complicated. For this reason, Europa Press Salud Infosalus interviewed the emergency and emergency nurse and vice president of the Spanish Society of Emergency and Emergency Medicine (SEMES), Carmen Casalwho confirms that services are currently overloaded after the holidays.

The expert explains that not all people respond the same to a respiratory infection and that it is important to observe if certain symptoms appear that may indicate complications. Between the main warning signs that should make you think about going to the emergency room are:

Real difficulty speaking or breathing

If the person can’t finish a sentence without running out of air, there is a feeling of lack of oxygen or there is an obvious effort to breathe, this may indicate that you need oxygen.

Bluish discoloration of lips, nails, or nose (cyanosis)

Although the cold can cause a temporary bluish toneif the person is warm and maintains that color persistently, it may be a sign that there is a lack of oxygen in the distal parts of the body.

Recurrent fever

If the fever appears suddenly, disappears, and rises again after two or three days, it could be a respiratory superinfectionwhich requires medical evaluation.

Casal emphasizes that, in case of fever, it is usual to consult your primary care doctor first, who will not prescribe antibiotics without justificationsince their indiscriminate use reduces their effectiveness when they are really necessary. Also, remember that colds and many viral respiratory processes have their own natural healing time.

The role of nursing triage in the emergency room

The nurse also explains that, in many cases, difficulty breathing can cause anxiety. For this reason, nursing triage is carried out in the emergency room, a process in which the patient’s symptoms are evaluated to classify their severity and decide the order of care. Part of that evaluation involves asking the patient why they are coming and observing their speech and breathing.

Casal details that if someone has difficulty finishing sentences due to lack of air, this indicates a subjective sensation of significant lack of oxygen. If you can speak normally, you are asked to make small efforts to better evaluate your breathing. The clinical assessment of dyspnea allows healthcare personnel to identify the level of respiratory compromise and act accordingly.