Medical Emergencies
Dr/Alyaa Zaid
By the end of this lecture, the student will be able to:
• Define the common medical emergencies, including heart attack, stroke, seizures, and
diabetic emergencies.
• Identify the main causes, signs, and symptoms of each emergency condition.
• Differentiate between the clinical features of the four conditions to enable rapid
recognition.
• Demonstrate appropriate first aid management steps for:
– Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
– Stroke (cerebrovascular accident)
– Seizures (epileptic fits)
– Diabetic emergencies (hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia)
• Apply the general principles of first responder care (safety, assessment, calling for help,
and patient positioning).
• Evaluate when and how to seek advanced medical assistance or transfer to hospital care.
• Communicate effectively and provide reassurance to the patient and bystanders during a
medical emergency.
Medical Emergencies
1- A heart attack
2- Diabetic emergencies
3- Stroke
4- Seizures = convulsions
1- A heart attack
May be:
i- Acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
ii- Angina pectoris
Warning symptoms of Heart attack
• Heavy pressure or squeezing pain in the
center of the chest
• Shoulder, arm, neck or jaw pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Shortness of breath
Warning symptoms of Heart attack:
• indigestion, heartburn
• sweating
• sense of impending death.
• feeling weak or faint
What to do:
1-If the heart attack is severe enough to
cause the heart to stop functioning or
stimulate a life-threatening arrhythmia,
first responders may need to initiate CPR
and use an AED.
2-When the person suffering from a heart attack
is still conscious, your role is more supportive:
A-Keep the person in a position of comfort, and
activate EMS.
b-If the individual has no history of recent
bleeding, consider giving one or two adult
aspirin (325 mg) or four baby aspirin (81 mg).
c-Some people with a history of heart
problems carry ORAL nitroglycerine.
-Nitroglycerine is administered under the
tongue to be absorbed and not
swallowed.
-It is administered every five minutes for a
total of three doses.
2-Diabetic Emergency
When blood-sugar levels are markedly
elevated (hyperglycemia) or low
(hypoglycemia), people can become
symptomatic.
Diagnosis of DM
FBS (Fasting blood sugar) > 126
RBS (Random blood sugar) > 200
HBA1C > 6.5
-Hyperglycemia may require medical
intervention but rarely requires emergency
treatment from the first-aid provider.
-The diabetic experiencing hyperglycemia
will usually be capable of checking his
own blood sugar and administering his
own insulin if needed.
-A first aid provider should not administer
insulin as this can easily make the
condition worse.
-For diabetics who require insulin
injections, use of insulin without adequate
dietary intake will cause a drop in blood-
glucose levels and may cause
hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia is an acute condition
requiring rapid intervention
Interventions by a first-aid provider:
1-should be limited to assisting with
ingestion of foods with high sugar
concentrations such as glucose tablets or
20 g of carbohydrates such as candy
(quantity varies), jelly beans, fruit.
2-It may take 10-15 minutes for the
hypoglycemic symptoms to resolve so
waiting to activate EMS is suggested.
3-If symptoms do not resolve in that
time frame, administer additional high
sugar concentrations as noted
previously and call EMS.
3- Stroke
-Strokes are a medical emergency that can
result in permanent neurological injury,
disability and death.
They result from either
i) blood-vessel blockage (usually from a
blood clot or thrombus) or from
ii) blood-vessel rupture that causes bleeding
(hemorrhage).
Strokes can manifest with:
1-Sudden loss of motor function
2-Loss of sensory function.
3-Inability to understand or formulate words.
4-Loss of a visual field.
Many strokes are not associated with
headache.
-Most strokes come on suddenly and are
painless.
-In the absence of head trauma, stroke
should be suspected when neurological
symptoms (those affecting the nervous
system) suddenly appear.
-The faster acute injury is detected and
emergency services alerted, the greater
the chances that medical treatment will
reduce injury and disability.
Signs of stroke include the
following:
1- facial droop
2- inability to raise or move an arm
3- slurred or nonsensical speech
If any of these signs are present, call EMS
immediately
4- Seizures
-Seizures (also known as fits and
convulsions) result from a sudden
massive electrical discharge within the
brain.
-Seizures may present as brief trance like states
or full body convulsions.
-Epilepsy is a disorder that results from surges
in electrical signals inside the brain, causing
recurrent seizures.
-Generalized seizures affect both cerebral
hemispheres (both sides of the brain).
-They cause loss of consciousness for
either brief periods or for several minutes.
-Seizures may also be focal and involve
only one limb.
-Generalized seizures often start with a
brief cry followed by a fall to the ground.
-Alternating stiffening (tonic phase) and
jerking (clonic phase) movements of the
arms, legs and face characterize a
seizure.
-The period following a generalized
seizure is known as the postictal phase.
-During this period people may be
unresponsive, in a deep sleep, weak,
disoriented or combative.
Conditions that predispose to seizures
1-High fevers (primarily in young children).
2-Infections, including meningitis or
encephalitis.
3-Poisoning, including drugs or heavy metals.
4-Hypoglycemia.
5-Head trauma.
6-Shock.
7-Hypoxia
8-Intracerebral bleeding (i.e., stroke).
9- Certain complications of pregnancy.
What to do during seizures
1-Move objects that may be struck or
cause injury away from the seizing
person.
2-Protect but do not attempt to restrain
an individual during a seizure.
3-Avoid placing anything in the person’s
mouth.
4-Once the person has stopped actively
convulsing, conduct your initial
assessment, and ensure an open airway.
5-Call for EMS
•Thank you
Dr Alyaa Zaid