Referral to emergency
If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.
- significant haemoptysis
- any haemoptysis with acute dyspnoea, measured hypoxia, altered consciousness, hypotension, tachycardia or chest pain
Please contact the on-call registrar to discuss your concerns prior to referral.
For clinical advice, please telephone the relevant metropolitan Local Health Network switchboard and ask to speak to the relevant specialty service.
Southern Adelaide Local Health Network
- Flinders Medical Centre (08) 8204 5511
Women's and Children's Health Network
- Women’s and Children’s Hospital (08) 8161 7000
Category 1 (appointment clinically indicated within 30 days)
- intermittent haemoptysis over a four week period
Category 2 (appointment clinically indicated within 90 days)
- haemoptysis related to tobacco smoking, marijuana use and vaping
Category 3 (appointment clinically indicated within 365 days)
- nil
For more on outpatient referrals, see the general referral information page.
Essential referral information
Completion required before first appointment to ensure patients are ready for care. Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.
- identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- relevant social history, including identifying within your referral if you feel your patient is from a vulnerable population, under guardianship/out-of-home care arrangements and/or requires a third party to receive correspondence on their behalf
- interpreter required
- comorbidities
- medication list, particularly anticoagulants
- recent clinical events, particularly viral symptoms, infective bronchitis
- full blood count and coagulation screen results
- chest x-ray
Additional information to assist triage categorisation
- relevant allied health/diagnostic/imaging reports, including location of company and accession number
Clinical management advice
True haemoptysis is rare in children and adolescents. The most common cause of haemoptysis is nasal epistaxis, which can be managed by general practitioners (consider referral to Paediatric Ear, Nose and Throat if concerned). Please consider asking about illicit behaviours such as tobacco smoking, marijuana use and vaping and recommend discontinuation if occurring. If epistaxis and illicit behaviours can be excluded, a referral to Paediatric Respiratory Medicine is warranted.