Questions tagged [emergency]
Questions regarding emergency medical care and treatment.
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Detecting a medical emergency based on the symptoms the patient presents
Are there standard rules or references for deciding whether a patient has a medical emergency, based on the symptoms the patient report? Are those standard rules international?
Details
I am in Germany ...
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Would an injection into the neck be useful for quick application of a drug?
This might be the wrong place to ask, but I'm working on a story where the main character has a chronic condition that is usually managed by medication. However, on the off chance they run out of ...
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Removing an impaled object without a doctor
We all know (or at least, we should) that you should never remove an impaling object. Keep the object as still and stable as possible, and wait for the EMT/doctor/surgeon/whatever to do it.
But what ...
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Can esophageal obstruction cause choking?
Does this ever happen (for any age) in emergency (CPR) situations?
If so, how can one determine that the obstruction is esophageal and not tracheal and how does one apply CPR in this case?
Thank you.
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Can iodine purification tablets be used to prevent absorption of radioactive iodine (tetraglycine hydroperiodide, potassium iodide)
Can one use iodine tablets made of tetraglycine hydroperiodide to protect yourself from radiation poisoning in an emergency? If so, how much should one take?
The CDC recommends adults take 130mg of ...
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Alternative sources of iodine for radiation emergency
One approach to reduce long-term health effects from a nuclear radiation emergency is to take potassium iodine. The typical dosage is 130 mg daily.
As the need for iodine pills is very rare and their ...
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Why is there a difference between venous bicarbonate and bicarbonate in ABG?
Lets say a serum blood test shows bicarbonate of 20mmol/l but an ABG of 15mmol/l, both tests taken 3 minutes apart in a person with acute metabolic acidosis with compensation. Can anyone explain why ...
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Complete torso/lung impalement, object still present - Do I have it right?
I hope this is the right Exchange. For background, I do have official military combat trauma training and official civilian first aid training but the particulars of Scenario 3 below have me wondering ...
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What is a semi-hollow organ?
This question was taken from an NREMT (EMT certification) test I took and will have to re-take, so the context is emergency medicine/first response. It asked me to list some semi-hollow organs. This ...
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Emergency defibrillation
A typical defibrillator is basically capacitor and a pair of electrodes and circuits. There are AEDs that can detect whether defibrillation is required or not. But what if cardiac arrest(due to ...
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Crystalloid infusion during anaphylactic shock
My text book states that intravenous crystalloid infusion is a method of treating anaphylactic shock.
I can't get why, as there is no fluid loss in case of anaphylactic shock, at least that is what ...
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Are there any recommended or prescribed time limits for ambulance to reach a juvenile patient in case of emergency?
When I look for ambulance and how fast it should come, I find information regarding allowed driving speed.
However, for planning hospitals and roads, one should no how much time is on average ...
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Tips on identifying CVA patients
In my work, not once i encounter old people with deterioration and i am having hard time deciding if does symptoms may be related to CVA or not and if a neurologist should be called.
I will explain ...
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How does fluid temp impact glucose uptake in hypoglycemia?
I recently asked How to mark beverage cans in a cooler for a blind person? on a sister site.
One of the answers made this unreferenced claim.
The last thing you want to do close to ...
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Can a radiology technician spot an emergency?
When medical imaging is performed, such as MRI, the results are usually relayed to the patient by the doctor who ordered it. This is usually hours, days, or even weeks later.
But what if something ...
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UK Accident and Emergency Roles
I need some help with a novel I'm writing.
My character is a highly-experienced surgeon, working on a UK Accident and Emergency ward, who also trains those coming up through the ranks.
In a USA ER, ...
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Emergent gastric ischemia
I saw a news item today that said this:
The state medical examiner’s office ruled Tuesday that the death of a
Trinity student in November was accidental and caused by a rare
stomach disorder ...
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When a person is seriously injured, what's the point of CPR?
I have taken CPR training and I have a question about it.
Sometimes one reads in the newspaper about a person injured in a car crash or anything tried CPR in vain.
I'm asking when a person is ...
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Necessity of break-the-glass for accessing patient electronic health records in emergency [closed]
I wanted to find out if the break-the-glass method is really needed where an emergency physician would use it to access a patient's electronic health record in the event of an emergency. Since an ...
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Contraindications for administrating oxygen
As the title says, what are contraindications of providing a patient oxygen in the emergency system outside of hospitals?
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Can a otherwise healthy person request a "do not resuscitate" order?
In NY State, in the USA, If an otherwise healthy person has a do not resuscitate order and has a heart attack and the ambulance comes, will they just let him die like that? Or is do not resuscitate ...
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Why is treating hepatic vein injuries so difficult?
I've read a few ER room stories on quora where trauma surgeons would dictate their real life accounts.
One of them said about a accident victim who was very much alive , conscious and talkative. Upon ...
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Correct english term for an urgent referral
I am translating a Swedish text, and I am having problems translating the term "akutremiss" to British English. The term is commonly used in Swedish healthcare. It is basically a referral, of any type,...
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In an emergency situation, how does the medical doctor determine that an unconscious patient is pregnant?
If I were to be in a car accident, or something similar, I know that certain tests would be performed either by the first responders or by the medical personnel in the emergency room. Like checking my ...
user12041
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What to do if someone breaks a bone?
I was wondering today about what someone should do immediately after either they or someone else had a fractured / broken bone.
What first aid / steps should be taken after this happens?
Is this ...
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How highly trained are paramedics in Hong Kong?
Relating to the paramedics within the Hong Kong Fire Services Department.
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Is it right to say that any syncope is a result of low perfusion to brain?
Is it right to say that always syncope is a result of low perfusion to brain, or low blood pressure?
(I know that there are a lot of secondary reasons such as vassovagal or cardiac issues, but if I ...
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Is there any medical value when a care provider talk to his trauma patient?
Is there any medical value when a care provider talks to a trauma patient to keep the patient conscious?
It's well known that in cases of trauma (in physical medicine) always the paramedic or ...
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Average Number of Sutures per E.R. visit
I'm trying to gather data for a bioengineering project, but I'm finding difficulty locating the statistic of the average number of sutures per visit, for E.R.'s. Does anyone know how to find this data?...
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Conceptual differences between urgent, emergency, planned, unplanned, elective and acute care
I have a bunch of health care terms between which I would like to disambiguate the relationships. A concept map or diagram would be really appreciated since I think better that way. Terms are:
...
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If people can create an accelerated medical program that can be completed in just three years, what textbooks should they select in the curriculum?
Imagine a third-world country with a lack of doctors. They should start to treat patients as soon as possible even if they did not take full courses in biochemistry, histology, anatomy, biostatistics, ...
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Why does breathing stop during cardiac arrest?
I've been reading about resuscitation, and found several suggestions that people don't continue breathing after effective heart function stops because the diaphragm quickly runs out of oxygen. Is ...
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Where to find a medical alert system without monthly payment?
I have been using alert1 for awhile, but recently my liabilities increase as my daughter suddenly got divorce. I am not sure how long will this last, but I plan to replace my mom's medical alert to ...
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Mechanical cardio resuscitation for asystole
We have great machines for shocking a heart out of various malfunctions.
But my understanding is that the only "machine" indicated for restarting a heart that has completely stopped (i.e., "flat-...
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Can Manual External Defibrillators "restart" a heart?
On TV it appears that every time a heartbeat monitor flat-lines they pull out the paddles of a manual external defibrillator (MED) and give a few shocks, often explicitly cranking up the output when ...
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What to do if someone on video chat needs medical help
I live in Iowa and I am talking to a person in Idaho (or anyone in a different state), and the person on the other end experiences a sudden illness and needs EMS, what is the best way to get services ...
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Why are backboards no longer used as spinal immobilization devices?
I'm a member of the National Ski Patrol, and this year at the OEC refresher we were told (repeatedly) that EMTs no longer use backboards as immobilization devices, so we shouldn't be surprised if ...
anon
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Why is defibrillation commenced before CPR in ventricular fibrillation?
I know CPR is usually commenced before defibrillation in a medical emergency, however we learned that defibrillation should be done before CPR in the case of ventricular fibrillation. Is there a ...
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Is it safe to drink urine when you have nothing else to drink?
What if there was a situation where someone had no water to drink or food to eat. Would it be safe for them to drink their own urine? What are the possible risks of doing this? Could there be any ...
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Multi-parameters monitors: pediatric vs. adult mode
We often use a multi-parameters monitor to monitor the victim's pulse, SpO2 and blood pressure1.
When using these devices on children, we have to switch them to 'pediatric mode' first. And for blood ...
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What's the rush in the case of sudden hearing loss?
I've heard from both an ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) and an audiologist (hearing specialist) that in the case of sudden hearing loss, time is of the essence, and the patient should be seen as ...
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How safe are backboards?
I have heard a fair amount of talk recently about how safe the long spine boards frequently used by EMS personnel after falls and car accidents are. How many - if any - studies have been done on this?
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