Recognizing medical emergencies
Alternative Names
Medical emergencies - how to
recognize them
Information
According to the American College
of Emergency Physicians, the following are warning signs of a
medical emergency:
- Bleeding that will not stop
- Breathing problems (difficulty breathing, shortness of breath)
- Change in mental status (such as unusual
behavior, confusion, difficulty
arousing)
- Chest
pain
- Choking
- Coughing up or vomiting blood
- Fainting or loss
of consciousness
- Feeling of committing suicide or
murder
- Head or spine injury
- Severe or persistent vomiting
- Sudden injury due to a motor
vehicle accident, burns or smoke inhalation, near drowning, deep or
large wound, etc.
- Sudden, severe pain anywhere in
the body
- Sudden dizziness, weakness, or change in vision
- Swallowing a poisonous
substance
- Upper abdominal pain or pressure
BE PREPARED
- Determine the location and
quickest route to the nearest emergency department before an
emergency happens.
- Keep emergency phone numbers
posted by the phone. Everyone in your household, including
children, should know when and how to call these numbers. These
numbers include:
- Fire department
- Police department
police
- Poison control
center
- Ambulance center
- Your doctors' phone
numbers
- Contact numbers for neighbors or
nearby friends or relatives.
- Work phone numbers
- Know at which hospital(s) your
doctor practices and, if practical, go there in an
emergency.
- Wear a medical identification
tag if you have a chronic condition or look for one on a person who
has any of the symptoms mentioned.
- Get a personal emergency
response system if you are elderly, especially if you live
alone.
WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE NEEDS
HELP
- Remain calm, and call your local
emergency number (such as 911).
- Start CPR or rescue breathing, if necessary and if
you know the proper technique.
- Place a semiconscious or
unconscious person in the recovery
position until the ambulance arrives. DO NOT move the person,
however, if there has been or may have been a neck
injury.
Upon arriving at an emergency
room, the person will be immediately evaluated. Life- or
limb-threatening conditions will be treated first. Persons with
conditions that are not life- or limb-threatening may have to
wait.
CALL YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY NUMBER
(SUCH AS 911) IF:
- The person's condition is
life-threatening (for example, the person is having a heart attack or severe allergic reaction)
- The person's condition could
become life-threatening on the way to the hospital
- Moving the person could cause
further injury (for example, in case of a neck injury or motor
vehicle accident)
- The person needs the skills or
equipment of paramedics
- Traffic conditions or distance
might cause a delay in getting the person to the
hospital
Review Date: 1/30/2009
Reviewed By: John E. Duldner, Jr., MD, MS, Assistant Professor of
Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Samaritan
Regional Health System, Ashland, Ohio. Review provided by VeriMed
Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
The information provided herein should not be used during any
medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical
condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for
diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911
for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for
information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those
other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the
information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
