medical emergencies Flashcards
what is a medical emergency?
An acute injury or illness that poses a threat to a person’s life/long-term health
what is a surgical emergency?
A medical emergency for which immediate surgical intervention is required to resolve the condition successfully
How might patients present?
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- abdominal pain
- choking
- severe burns
- broken or displaced bones
- a significant loss of blood
- inability to walk or speak
medical and surgical emergency considerations
the wellness of the patient
how we could prioritise them
which modality we will use
will imaging affect the patient’s management
what isn’t a medical emergency?
toothache sore throat sprains and strains colds minor cuts
services where patients can access to help with emergencies
pharmacies
NHS 111 - however, there could be a misdiagnosis
GP
types of medical emergencies
cardiac- heart attack, cardiac arrest
vascular- pulmonary embolism (PE),
neuro- cerebrovascular accident
renal- obstruction, renal colic
respiratory- covid, asthma, Acute respiratory Distress syndrome
(ARDS)
presentation of cardiac arrest
patient is unresponsive
no life signs
pathway for cardiac arrest
follow procedure for CPR
presentation of PE
SOB, Chest pain, swollen leg or even asymptomatic
possible pathways for PE
CXR
CTPA
ventilation scan VQ
Ultrasound
renal colic presentation
severe pain
sweating
nausea- can be caused by moving caculi
pathway of renal colic
AXR- low dose baseline assessment, has limited accuracy
CTKUB- much more accurate, modality of choice
IVU- checks for filling defects
cerebrovascular accident (CVA) types
- ischaemic
- haemorrhagic
acute respiratory distress syndrome presentation
rapid shallow breathing
tiredness
SOB
lightheaded
