Common Medical Emergencies

 
 Objectives:
At the completion of the session, the
participants will be able to identify and intervene
when the following medical emergencies occur:
Heart Attack
Stroke
Seizures
Syncope
Hyperventilation
Asthma
Hypoglycaemia
Diarrhoea
 Heart Attack
 Permanent damage to the heart
 Occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked
 Affected blood vessel is the “coronary artery”
Signs and Symptoms:
Pain Description
Emergency Care for Heart Attack

Stop all physical activities (REST)

Maintenance medication
Call EMS
Positioning
Stay with the victim
Stroke
 aka “brain attack” or “CVA” (cerebrovascular accident)
 Occurs when there is “poor blood flow” to the brain
 Part of the brain is “deprived of oxygen”
 Damage to the brain cells
 3 Types of Stroke

1. Ischemic
2. Hemorrhagic
3. Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
 3 Types of Stroke
1. Ischemic
Occurs as a result of an “obstruction” within a
blood vessel supplying blood to the brain.
2 Kinds of Ischemic Stroke

1. Thrombotic
2. Embolic
2 Kinds of Ischemic Stroke
1. Thrombotic
 Caused by a blood clot
 Blood clot forms “inside”
the brain artery
 2 Kinds of Ischemic Stroke
2. Embolic
Caused by a blood clot
Blood clot forms “somewhere else in the body”
 The clot travels through the bloodstream to the
brain artery
 3 Types of Stroke
2. Hemorrhagic
 results from a ruptured vessel
 bleeds into the surrounding brain
 The blood accumulates and compresses the
surrounding brain tissue.
 3 Types of Stroke
3. Transient Ischemic Stroke (TIA)
“mini-stroke”
Caused by “temporary” clot
 Signs and Symptoms of Stroke:

Sudden:
numbness Face, Arm, Leg
weakness (1 side of the body)
blurred vision
confusion, trouble understanding
trouble speaking
trouble walking, coordination, balance
dizziness
headache
Signs and Symptoms of Stroke:

F – face
A – arms
S – speech
T - time
 Emergency Care for Stroke
Call EMS
Unresponsive victim:
Open the airway
Check the breathing
Place in recovery position if breathing
Responsive victim:
Lay down
Keep head and shoulders slightly elevated
 Seizures
 An uncontrollable muscle movements
(twitching and jerking) due to abnormal
brain activity
 Common Types of Seizure
1. Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizure
aka Grand-Mal
unconscious
twitching of all body muscles

2. Absence Seizure
aka Petit Mal
staring spells
“daydreaming”
 Emergency Care for Seizure

During Seizure
 Stay with the patient
 Protect the patient from injury
prevent falling
guide gently to the floor
cushion the head
remove items away from the patient
loosen the tight clothing around the neck
position the patient to his side gently if possible
 Emergency Care for Seizure
During Seizure DOs
 Observe the following
movement
time
 Emergency Care for Seizure
During Seizure DON’Ts
 Don’t put anything in the mouth
fingers
spoon
cloth
medicine
water
 Don’t restrain the patient
 Don’t move the patient
 Emergency Care for Seizure

After Seizure
 check for injuries
 turn on his side
 provide a place to rest
 nothing by mouth until fully awake
 reorient the patient
 stay with the patient until fully awake & oriented
 check for medical tag
 When to Call EMS?
 Seizure lasts more than 5 minutes
 Victim has NO epilepsy history
 Difficulty of breathing after seizure
 Slow recovery or recurring
 Victim is pregnant
 Victim has another medical condition
 There are signs of injury
 Syncope
 aka “fainting” or “passing out”
 brief loss of consciousness & muscle strength
 results from decreased blood flow to the brain

Characteristics:
 Fast onset
 Short duration
 Spontaneous recovery
 Signs and Symptoms Syncope

 Sweating
 Light-headedness
 Pale
 Blurred vision
 Nausea & vomiting
 Feeling warm
 Emergency Care for Syncope
• Prevent from fall
• Check for injuries
• Let the patient lie down and raise the legs

• Loosen tight clothing

• Provide good ventilation
• Stay with the patient
• If recovered = Give cool, sweetened drinks
• If unresponsive = Call EMS for medical help
 Hyperventilation
 over breathing
 rapid, deep breathing
Signs and Symptoms Hyperventilation

 Weakness
 Dizziness
 Breathing more than 40 cycles per
minute
 Numbness
Emergency Care for Hyperventilation

• Keep calm
• Encourage breathing exercises
Inhale through the nose
Hold the breath for several seconds
Exhale slowly
 Asthma
 is a chronic “inflammatory” disease
of the airway

 caused by:
 genetics
 environment
 Signs and Symptoms of Asthma

♪ coughing
♪ chest tightness
♪ shortness of breath
♪ wheezing
♪ cyanosis
 Emergency Care for Asthma

 Positioning
 Use of inhaler

 Call EMS if victim does not improve

 Hypoglycaemia
 low blood sugar or glucose

food Absorbed nutrients

in blood
ingestion
digestion (including SUGAR)

Little food intake

Too much insulin
Signs and Symptoms of Hypoglycaemia
• sweating
• chills & clammy
• weakness & fatigue
• blurred vision
• increased heart rate
• anxious
• hunger
• trembling
• irritability
• headache
• confusion
• lack of coordination
• unconsciousness
Emergency Care of Hypoglycaemia

• 4 oz orange juice
• ½ cup of regular soda
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 8 oz of milk
• 2-4 candies (ex. white rabbit)
 Diarrhoea
 loose bowel movement (LBM)
 watery stool
 Signs and Symptoms of Diarrhoea
• Abdominal bloating or cramps
• Thin or loose stools
• Watery stool
• Sense of urgency to have a bowel movement
• Nausea & vomiting
Complicated Diarrhea:
 Mucus  Dehydration
 Blood  Weight loss
 Undigested food  Fever
 Emergency Care for Diarrhoea

• Rehydrate!!!
Give clear fluids
• water
• broth
• sports drink (Gatorade or ORS)
• tea
Give gelatine and soup
Give BRAT diet