Medical emergencies
What usually are the serious emergencies?
There are a number of serious health conditions requiring emergent attention. These medical conditions briefly are: Heart Attack, Stroke, Asthma, Allergic Reaction, Injuries Poisoning etc.
How to recognize heart attack or what are the symptoms?
Chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack, which occurs when an artery is blocked by a blood clot. These stop blood flow to the heart and damage the cardiac muscles. The pain in heart attack is felt usually in the middle of the chest and may radiate to the jaw, neck, shoulders, back or arms.
Shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting and perfuse sweating are also seen. Besides or without having chest pain there may be other symptoms such as something sitting on your chest, unexplained sweating, feeling of dying and/or feeling of indigestion.
In case of heart attack how the patient can help himself or how others can help?
If symptoms last longer than three to five minutes and are particularly severe or arent relieved by sublingual glycerine trinitrate tablet or spray (Angesed or Nitromint) then call an ambulance or get transport to go to hospital or centers where help is available for such emergency. Never drive yourself to the hospital since there is strong possibility that you may pass out. Paramedics can provide early medical care in cardiac ambulances or ambulances carrying defibrillators, the machines that can restore a normal heart rhythm and prevent death. You can take an aspirin (300 mg) right away. It has been shown to limit damage from a heart attack. Till help is reached, you should lie down, breathe slowly and keep calm. Anxiety and activity can increase heart damage.
What is stroke and what are the symptoms?
As the name of implies, a stroke hits suddenly, obstruct circulation inside the brain or when blood vessels raptures inside the brain interfering with circulation of brain tissues and destroying the brain tissues. Symptoms include unexpected numbness and weakness that usually affects one side of the body vision disturbance and inability to speak.
How to help one oneself or someone else?
Have the person sit down immediately so s/he does not fall. Call an ambulance or transport patient to the nearest hospital. Make sure the airway is open by putting patient in a recovery position, if the patient stops breathing.
How shortness of breath occurs?
Many conditions can cause severe shortness of breath pneumonia, asthma, inhalation of toxic fumes, and smoke bronchitis, an airway obstruction, a blood clot in the lungs or a heart attack/failure.
What could be done when shortness of breath occur?
Call an ambulance or arrange a transport for evacuation of the patient. Sit with your head elevated breath slowly and deeply, remain calm.
What can cause allergic reaction?
A serious allergic reaction can occur after eating certain foods, receiving an injection, taking a drug or getting an insect bite or sting. However many a times cause could not be known.
What are the symptoms of severe allergy?
Severe or sudden hives, itching or a rash-flushed skin- swollen tissue around the mouth and in the airway breathing difficulties such as wheezing, physical weakness nausea, dizziness, low blood pressure and/or collapse.
How to identify fractures?
It can be difficult to distinguish a mere sprain from a more serious fracture without an X-Ray. Fractures are signaled by intense pain or swelling, an inability to use a body part hip, wrist, arm, shoulder, ankle, and leg or an obvious deformity or broken extremity or body part.
What to do in case of fracture?
When in doubt to go a hospital. While you are in transit follow the RICE procedure, if you can: R stands for Rest, I stands for Icepack the injury to reduce swelling, C stands for Compression and E stands for Elevation of the body part, so blood and other fluids wont poor there.
