Most Common Medical Emergencies and How to Deal with Them

It just takes one visit to the hospital to see how many people arrive with emergencies and in what dire conditions. Especially since the pandemic, the demand for emergency services has skyrocketed and doctors and hospital management is being forced to upgrade and innovate some of these services just to cater to the volume of patients requiring them in the first place. However, it must be noted that tackling a medical emergency is as much the responsibility of the healthcare provider as it is of the patient and his guardians. Logistics too have a very important role to play, therefore ensure that you have a good system for a Primary Care Door-to-Doctor transportation service for seniors in place while living in Miami.

Heart Attack, stroke, severe bleeding, accident and trauma and fatal allergies- all the conditions listed here can be grouped together as the emergency services. The good thing about these services is that they are open 24X7 and equipped with state-of-the-art, advanced machinery and experienced specialists. However, in all these cases you have to proceed with caution and nimbleness. In this article we are going to look at some of the most common medical emergencies and how we as the guardians of the patients can manage them until medical services arrive.

Chest Pain

Chest pain can be of many kinds and any kind should not be ignored. They can be because of indigestion or due to a serious heart issue. Only an Electrocardiogram can rule out the possibility of a heart condition. If chest pain is accompanied by other symptoms like shortness of breath, pain in the arms, heartburn or dizziness, it might be an indication of a serious heart issue and the patient must be immediately rushed to the hospital. Until help arrives in the form of an emergency ambulance, you must ask the person to sit down or lie and loosen their clothes. You may also ask them to chew on aspirin and swallow it. It is recommended to confirm if they are allergic to aspirin or not. If their doctor has previously prescribed nitroglycerin then you may ask the patient to take it as per the instructions. If the person has lost consciousness, you may try to give them CPR until medical help arrives. In order to feel more prepared, you should consider getting a first-aid and cpr certification which will help you in any dangerous situation you may encounter.

Stroke

If you realize a person is having a stroke, you need to immediately call for medical help. Here are a few symptoms to look out for in a stroke:

1. Dizziness or confusion
2. Difficulty or a slur in speech
3. Loss of balance or unconsciousness
4. Weakness in a particular side of the body
5. Difficulty in comprehension
6. Blurred vision or vision loss

To manage the situation until medical help arrives, do the following:

1. Ensure that the patient is lying or sitting in a comfortable position to avoid fall and physical injury
2. Lay them to one side, supporting their head and keeping it raised in case they feel nauseous.
3. Keep the person as comfortable as you can, enveloping them in a blanket to keep them warm
4. Ensure not to move any body part if the person complains of a weakness in the same
5. Try to stay as calm as possible focusing on being present and observing the symptoms of the person so as to narrate them in case need be to a medical representative. Mention any fall or physical injury in case you have witnessed.

Burns

Burns are a serious injury and cause immense pain. Also, one cannot manage or tend to burns without professional qualification as it may worsen the condition. So, after calling in the medical emergency service, here are the following things you can do until help arrives.

1. In case the size of the burn is small and manageable you must apply a wet cloth or running water to cool down the inflammation.
2. Remove any wearable accessory from the area in order to avoid discomfort.
3. You could also apply a burn appropriate lotion or a burn ointment to provide immediate relief.
4. You could also bandage or cover the area to cut off air, reduce pain or protect blistered skin.
5. In case you have to put out a burning fire, never use water, instead grab a heavy blanket (if available) and put out the fire, preventing the person from further harm.
6. Raise the burnt area above the heart level and watch out for any signs of shock.

Always rely on a trusted Primary Care Door- to Doctor Service for such emergency purposes. We must always remember that a panicked mind won’t do any good in any emergency situation, therefore try to act in a calm and intelligent manner.