Urgent! Advice about injured toddler

[MaMattoo]

My friends child (27 month old) fell down the stairs at home. She was in a&e for a bit and then they thought she was ok. They asked my friend if she would want a brain scan done. Knowing this is a slow and scary process he chose not to get it done.
She has now been worrying constantly and wants to get a Scan done privately. Does anyone know if there are better (quicker more silent scan machines around) for toddlers. Is there a place in/around London that anyone might have been to? Any advice about prepping the little one and what to expect?
Needless to say friend is very worried and I told her I would check here.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

How long ago was the fall?

What's your friend worried about? That the fall has caused a clot/bleed on the brain which may be suddenly catastrophic?

Ummmmm. Its generally not a parental choice about if a CT scan is done or not. There is clear guidance about the childs level of conciousness, vomiting, etc as to whether or not a scan is indicated. If the child has been sent home, then it will be very unlikely to be necessary. They will also have been given clear advice about returning if there are any persisting or developing symptoms (drowsiness, vomiting). If there are persisting or developing symptoms then a scan may be indicated at that time.

It is not a slow, or scary process. A head scan takes about 30 seconds, the scanner is a doughnut shaped ring so you don't disappear completely into it, and although no one else is in the room (to avoid radiation exposure) you can usually talk through a mic system. CT scans are quiet. Its MRI that are rather noisy and long. MRI is almost never indicated in a straightforward head injury, it is generally used for patients with tumours and vascular abnormalities.

It is a substantial dose of radiation, which if it is not indicated is only going to cause harm without benefit. And the harm from ionising radiation is cancer. Apologies for being rather blunt.

I would consider the medic prepared to undertake a head scan privately on a toddler with this story to be acting unprofessionally, apologies again, but I despise the predatory nature of "better safe than sorry" private medicine.

Thanks! Shall pass on advice.
Toddler fell on sunday and threw up twice on Monday. She is home and looks ok now. But mummy is worried that she might have made the wrong decision about the scan earlier at the hospital yesterday.

If they gave her a choice rather than just saying they needed to do one, then it isn't clinically necessary, and would be being done purely to reassure the parent.

If it was clinically necessary, and was indicated in the other examinations the doctor did, then they wouldn't have given her a choice.

Too many accident prone boys and too many visits to A&E for head injuries. Only one has needed a CT scan, and the DOCTOR was seriously worried about brain issues due to the severity of concussion. That incident happened at school, not on my watch btw!

Offer your friend a sweet cup of tea or something stronger, and reassure her that if the doctor actually thought a CT scan was necessary, she would have been told it needed to be done, not asked if she wanted one done.

IMO the doctor was just trying to reassure her!

The very best advice is that she can ALWAYS take her child back to the A&E that she was seen at. In two days time, in a weeks time, in a fortnights time. The door is ALWAYS open.

If the hospital thought the scan was NEEDED they wouldn't have given any choice in the matter, they would have been informed he was having the scan.

Unless the child shows any signs of problems (in which case straight back to A and E) then its best to just try not to worry to much

If the mum is still worried she can see her gp tomorrow to discuss concerns. Obviously any further vomiting, drowsiness she can go back to a&e, but I think this is ulikely days after the accident.

Agree if the drs tought it needed doing they'd have been very insistent at the time.

Thank you!! Really helps to read this. I think it has reassured her a bit as I have copy pasted this onto her as emails.
Hope her LO gets better soon and the specialist she is seeing tmrw helps reassure her further.

Thank you!!

it wouldn't be up to the mother what tests are done.