Medical Emergency Flashcards
What does the ABCDE approach stand for?
A- airway
B- breathing
C- circulation
D- disability
E- exposure/everything else
What does noises like stridor, wheezing, gurgling or snoring indicate?
Partial airway blockage
What does no noise in the airway indicate?
Complete airway blockage or cardiac arrest
What is the normal respiratory rate?
12-20 breaths per minute
What breathing rate is an indicator of serious illness?
> 25
What is the acceptable SPO2 (oxygen saturation) level for a patient?
96% and above
What would you use to measure SPO2 levels?
Pulse oximeter
What pulse rate is deemed acceptable?
60-100bpm
What pulse rate indicates a problem?
> 100bpm
What is a normal blood pressure reading?
120/70 or within these parameters
What does CRT stand for?
Capillary refill time
What would a high CRT indicate?
Circulatory shock, most likely caused by a heart attack
What does ACVPU stand for?
A- alert
C- confusion
V- verbal
P- pain
U- unconscious
At what stage in ABCDE approach would ACVPU be used?
Disability stage
What stage in ABCDE approach would you record blood glucose at?
Disability stage
What blood glucose level would indicate hypoglycaemia?
<4mmols
At what stage In the ABCDE approach would you check SPO2 levels?
Breathing stage
At what stage In the ABCDE approach would you take a patients temperature?
Exposure/ everything else stage
What does pyrexial mean?
Abnormal elevation of body temperature
If a patient is described as pyrexial what could this indicate?
Sepsis
What is sepsis?
Also known as blood poisoning, it is a life-threatening reaction to an infection. It happens when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage your body’s own tissues and organs
What does tachycardia mean?
A heart rate over 100bpm
What does vasovagal syncope mean?
To faint/collapse
How would you deliver oxygen to a patient in a medical emergency?
Give high flow oxygen through a non-rebreather mask at 15 litres/minute
How would you check radial pulse?
On the wrist at the thumbline
How would you check central pulse?
At the carotid artery on your neck to the side of your windpipe
What does hypoglycaemia mean?
Low blood sugar
What are the four most common causes of fainting?
- Anxiety
- Pain
- Low blood sugar
- Standing for too long/ hypotension
Why might a patient present with low blood sugar at the dentist other than being diabetes related?
The patient may be in pain from toothache and this may hinder their ability to eat properly. Therefore their blood sugar is lowered.
How can standing for too long causes hypotension and ultimately syncope?
The blood begins to pool in the persons feet and legs causing a drop in blood pressure. The brain is no longer getting the blood/oxygen it needs so this causes the patient to collapse.
define hypotension
Low blood pressure
which cranial nerve is involved in vasovagal syncope?
Vagus nerve (CN X)
Which patient factors are most likely to cause the vagus nerve to get overstimulated?
Anxiety and pain
During vasovagal syncope, how will the airway present?
It will be patent
During vasovagal syncope, how will breathing present?
- respiratory rate will INCREASE
- SPO2 levels will DECREASE
- shallow breathing
During vasovagal syncope, how will circulation present?
- heart rate will be LOW due to vasovagal reflex
- hypotension due to blood vessel dilation
- pallor
During vasovagal syncope, how will disability stage of ABCDE present?
- They will be alert but anxious initially
- could become unconscious briefly
- blood sugar levels could be low if they haven’t eaten much
During vasovagal syncope, how will the exposure/everything else ABCDE stage present?
- Patient may be distressed and flustered
- brief loss of consciousness may occur
How would you manage a syncope patient prior to loss of consciousness?
- reassure patient
- give glucose to increase blood glucose (dextrose)
- open a window to circulate fresh air
- place patient in supine position to address hypotension
In the dental hospital, what form is glucose provided in?
A gel
What is supine position in regards to vasovagal syncope?
Patients lies on their back, with legs above head
How does the supine position help during vasovagal syncope?
It helps with venous blood flow back to the e heart and head
How would you manage a patient who has lost consciousness by fainting?
- USE ABCDE APPROACH
- check airway is patent
- assess breathing to rule out something more sinister
- loosen tight clothing around neck to help with breathing
- provide oxygen at lower saturation (6 litres/minute)
- recovery position if necessary to maintain patent airway
- plenty of reassurance on waking up
Why might you only provide 6 litres/min of oxygen instead of 15 litres/min to a patient unconscious due to fainting?
Because the high oxygen level could add to anxiety which could worsen symptoms
