Shannon Medical Center | Health Beat | Spring 2018

T The emergency department— it’s a place we all hope we never have to go. But should you find yourself facingaseriousmedical crisis, it’s comforting to know the emergency department is there for you and your family, including your kids. ● Knowing a thing or two about medical emergencies—how to spotone, howtohelpmakeyour visit to the emergency depart- ment better—can go a longway toward making what's often a scary situation for your family less stressful. ● Here are five key things to understand about emergencies. In many emergencies, every minute counts. If you wait too long to get help, a serious situation could get a lot worse. Of course, not all emergencies are as obvious as when, for instance, someone stops breathing. But if you think someone is in bad shape because of an injury or illness—or could die—that’s an emergency. Call 911 for help right away. Here are some of the more common warning signs and symptoms of an emergency: ●  ● Severe trouble breathing. ●  ● Chest pain. ●  ● Any sudden or severe pain, including arm or jaw pain. ●  ● Heavy or uncontrolled bleeding. ●  ● Coughing up or vomiting blood. ●  ● Spine or neck injuries. ●  ● Severe burns or large or deep cuts. ●  ● Sudden confusion, severe headache, weakness on one side of the body, or trouble speaking or seeing. ●  ● Thoughts or threats of suicide or of hurting someone else. It’s hard for little ones to tell you when they’re really sick. So if you’re the parent or caregiver of a baby or young child, watch for any of these addi- tional signs and symptoms of a child emergency: ●  ● Unusual behavior, such as being too sleepy, hard to wake up or confused. ●  ● Seizures. ●  ● Severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea. ●  ● A high fever with a headache and stiff neck. ●  ● Trouble standing or walking. ●  ● Skin or lips that turn bluish or gray. ●  ● Signs of dehydration—such as no wet dia- pers for nearly a day, a dry mouth, no tears or a sunken soft spot on a baby’s head. ●  ● Poor feeding or not eating. Many emergency departments have triage nurses who are specially trained to assess a medical condition and decide how severe it is. Based on what they find out, they may decide where the emergency doctor will care for you and whether you need to be treated ahead of other patients. For example, some emergency departments have fast-track areas for less seri- ous emergencies. The triage nurse will assess the severity of your illness or injury by examining you and asking about your symptoms. And you may have some tests or first aid care while you’re in the triage area. Speak up if you’re in pain or if your pain or other symptoms get worse.The nurse needs to know how you’re feeling to help decide how quickly you should be seen. 02 WHY THE SICKEST ARE TREATED FIRST 5 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW—BUT SHOULD 01 WHEN IT’S AN EMERGENCY Medical emergencies 4 HEALTH BEAT Emergency medicine