Meet the Experts

Dr. Fernando Mendoza

Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Baptist Children’s Hospital

Videos

Polluted Beaches: Risks Factors

Dr. Fernando Mendoza, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Baptist Children's Hospital, says you have to be aware of the contaminated beaches to avoid visiting them "You don't want to think you are safe at the beach and the next day you are sick with a contaminant you ingested in the water," he says and explains some of the repercussions could be gastrointestinal diseases, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Preventing Concussions In Sports

Dr. Fernando Mendoza, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Baptist Children's Hospital, says a concussion is a traumatic brain injury, it is when the head is struck and the brain moves around in the hard case that is the skull. He points out it is important for parents to know that an injury can happen in a very mild fashion, and he recommends being aware of the child's symptoms if they strike their head or their head is struck by something.

Symptoms Of Dry Drowning

Dr. Fernando Mendoza, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Baptist Children's Hospital, explains dry drowning is when the child or anybody has inhaled water through their trachea. He also says those symptoms manifest few hours later, usually within minutes to hours. He recommends parents to take their children to ER if they suspect the kids are no okay to take an x-ray, and to get an oxygen level examination.

Drowning Emergency Management

Getting your child out of the water and to a safe spot is the first thing to do in a drowning emergency. Then, check if the child is breathing, if not, start CPR. In addition, you have to send someone to call for emergency medical help. Dr. Fernando Mendoza, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Baptist Children's Hospital, says learning CPR is extremely valuable. "Just that chest compression is enough to keep the blood going to the brain," he points out.

Jet Ski Top Safety Tips

Dr. Fernando Mendoza, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Baptist Children's Hospital, explains Jet Ski is essentially a motorcycle on the water and accidents certainly happen every year in the waters of South Florida. "You have to be exceptionally careful, to wear a life vest or a life jacket, for anybody's riding a jet ski. Anybody under the age of 16 who's traveling in a boat has to have by law a lifejacket on at all times while the boat is on the way", he says.

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