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Medical emergency
 
 
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A medical emergency is an injury
Injury

Injury or bodily injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or Purpose of the body caused by an outside wiktionary:agent or force, which may be physical or chemical....
 or illness
Illness

Illness can be defined as a state of poor health.It is sometimes considered a synonym for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist....
 that is acute
Acute (medicine)

In medicine, an acute disease is a disease with either or both of:# a rapid onset;# a short course .This adjective is part of the definition of several diseases and is, therefore, incorporated in their name, for instance, severe acute respiratory syndrome, acute leukemia....
 and poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long term health. These emergencies may require assistance from another person, who should ideally be suitably qualified to do so, although some of these emergencies can be dealt with by the victim themselves. Dependent on the severity of the emergency, and the quality of any treatment given, it may require the involvement of multiple levels of care, from a first aid
First aid

First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by a layman to a sick or injured Casualty until definitive medical treatment can be accessed....
er to an emergency physician
Emergency medicine

Emergency medicine is a speciality of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses and injuries that require immediate medical attention....
 through to specialist surgeon
Surgeon

In medicine, a surgeon is a person who performs surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such to remove a diseased organ or to repair a tear or breakage....
s.

Any response to an emergency medical situation will depend strongly on the situation, the patient
Patient

A patient is any person who receives medical attention, care, or Therapy. The person is most often illness or injured and in need of treatment by a physician or other Health care provider, although one who is visiting a physician for a routine check-up may also be viewed as a patient....
 involved and availability of resources to help them.






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Encyclopedia


A medical emergency is an injury
Injury

Injury or bodily injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or Purpose of the body caused by an outside wiktionary:agent or force, which may be physical or chemical....
 or illness
Illness

Illness can be defined as a state of poor health.It is sometimes considered a synonym for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist....
 that is acute
Acute (medicine)

In medicine, an acute disease is a disease with either or both of:# a rapid onset;# a short course .This adjective is part of the definition of several diseases and is, therefore, incorporated in their name, for instance, severe acute respiratory syndrome, acute leukemia....
 and poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long term health. These emergencies may require assistance from another person, who should ideally be suitably qualified to do so, although some of these emergencies can be dealt with by the victim themselves. Dependent on the severity of the emergency, and the quality of any treatment given, it may require the involvement of multiple levels of care, from a first aid
First aid

First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by a layman to a sick or injured Casualty until definitive medical treatment can be accessed....
er to an emergency physician
Emergency medicine

Emergency medicine is a speciality of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses and injuries that require immediate medical attention....
 through to specialist surgeon
Surgeon

In medicine, a surgeon is a person who performs surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such to remove a diseased organ or to repair a tear or breakage....
s.

Any response to an emergency medical situation will depend strongly on the situation, the patient
Patient

A patient is any person who receives medical attention, care, or Therapy. The person is most often illness or injured and in need of treatment by a physician or other Health care provider, although one who is visiting a physician for a routine check-up may also be viewed as a patient....
 involved and availability of resources to help them. It will also vary depending on whether the emergency occurs whilst in hospital under medical care, or outside of medical care (for instance, in the street or alone at home).

Response

For emergencies starting outside of medical care, a key component of providing proper care is to summon the emergency medical services
Emergency medical services

Emergency medical services are a branch of Emergency services dedicated to providing out-of-hospital Acute and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency....
 (usually an ambulance
Ambulance

file:Ambulancebroomfieldhospital.jpgfile:C12 air ambulance.jpgfile:Scilly Isles Ambulance Service alongside Tresco quay.jpgAn ambulance is a vehicle for transporting sick or injured people, to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury....
), by calling for help using the appropriate local emergency telephone number
Emergency telephone number

Many countries' Public switched telephone network have a single emergency telephone number, sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or occasionally the emergency services number, that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance....
, such as 999, 911
9-1-1

9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan . It is one of eight N11 codes. In some jurisdictions, the use of this number is reserved for true emergency circumstances only....
, 112
1-1-2

112 is the emergency telephone number in the European Union member states, the Republic of Colombia and worldwide .In 1991, the European Union established 112 as the universal emergency number for all its member states....
 or 000
0-0-0

Triple O is:*000 emergency, the Australian emergency telephone number*Queen-side castling in chess notation...
. After determining that the incident is a medical emergency (as opposed to, for example, a police call), the emergency dispatchers will generally run through a questioning system such as AMPDS
Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System

The Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System , is a medically approved, unified system used to dispatch appropriate aid to medical emergencies including systematized caller interrogation and pre-arrival instructions....
 in order to assess the priority level of the call, along with the caller's name and location.

Those trained to perform first aid
First aid

First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by a layman to a sick or injured Casualty until definitive medical treatment can be accessed....
 can act within the bounds of the knowledge they have, whilst awaiting the next level of definitive care. Those who are not able to perform first aid can also assist by remaining calm and staying with the injured or ill person. A common complaint of emergency service personnel is the propensity of people to crowd around the scene of victim, as it is generally unhelpful, making the patient more stressed, and obstructing the smooth working of the emergency services. If possible, first responders should designate a specific person to ensure that the emergency services are called. Another bystander should be sent to wait for their arrival and direct them to the proper location. Additional bystanders can be helpful in ensuring that crowds are moved away from the ill or injured patient, allowing the responder adequate space to work.

Many states of the USA have "Good Samaritan Laws
Good Samaritan law

Good Samaritan laws in the United States are laws or acts protecting from liability those who choose to aid others who are injured or ill. They are intended to reduce bystanders' hesitation to assist, for fear of being sued or prosecuted for unintentional injury or wrongful death claim....
" which protect civilian responders who choose to assist in an emergency. Responders acting within the scope of their knowledge and training as a "reasonable person" in the same situation would act are often immune to liability in emergency situations. Usually, once care has begun, a first responder or first aid provider may not leave the patient or terminate care until a responder of equal or higher training (e.g., fire department or emergency medical technicians) assumes care. This can constitute abandonment of the patient, and may subject the responder to legal liability. Care must be continued until the patient is transferred to a higher level of care, the situation becomes too unsafe to continue, or the responder is physically unable to continue due to exhaustion or hazards.

The principles of the chain of survival
Chain of survival

The chain of survival refers to a series of actions that, when put into motion, reduce the mortality associated with cardiac arrest. Like any chain, the chain of survival is only as strong as its weakest link....
 apply to medical emergencies where the patient has an absence of breathing and heartbeat. This involves the four stages of Early access, Early CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency medical procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest or, in some circumstances, respiratory arrest. CPR is performed in hospitals, or in the community by layman or by emergency response professionals....
, Early defibrillation and Early advanced life support

Unless the situation is particularly hazardous, and is likely to further endanger the patient, evacuating an injured victim requires special skills, and should be left to the professionals of the emergency medical and fire service.

Clinical response

Within hospital settings, an adequate staff is generally present to deal with the average emergency situation. Emergency medicine
Emergency medicine

Emergency medicine is a speciality of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses and injuries that require immediate medical attention....
 physicians have training to deal with most medical emergencies, and maintain CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency medical procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest or, in some circumstances, respiratory arrest. CPR is performed in hospitals, or in the community by layman or by emergency response professionals....
 and ACLS
Advanced cardiac life support

Advanced cardiac life support or refers to a set of clinical interventions for the urgent treatment of cardiac arrest and other life threatening medical emergencies, as well as the knowledge and skills to deploy those interventions....
 certifications. In disasters or complex emergencies, most hospitals have protocols to summon on-site and off-site staff rapidly.

Both emergency room and inpatient medical emergencies follow the basic protocol of Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Irrespective of the nature of the emergency, adequate blood pressure
Blood pressure

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal vital signs. The pressure of the circulating blood decreases as it moves away from the heart through artery and capillary, and toward the heart through veins....
 and oxygenation
Oxygenation

Oxygenation refers to either the amount of oxygen in a medium or to the process of adding oxygen to a medium to increase its oxygen content....
 are required before the cause of the emergency can be eliminated. Possible exceptions include the clamping of arteries
Artery

Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. All arteries, with the exception of the pulmonary and umbilical arteries, carry oxygenated blood....
 in severe hemorrhage.

See also

  • List of medical emergencies
    List of medical emergencies

    The following is a list of symptoms and conditions that signal or constitute a possible Medical_emergency and may require immediate first aid, emergency room care, surgery, or care by a physician or nurse....
  • Rescue squad
    Rescue squad

    A rescue squad may be an organization that provides emergency medical care to both Physical trauma and medical patients at either the basic life support or advanced life support levels....