Chapter 13: Medical Emergencies
Changes in Consciousness
The mnemonic STOP offers clues when you notice changes in consciousness and you are not
sure what is causing it
 S: Sugar, seizures, stroke, and shock
 T: Temperature
 O: Oxygen
 P: Poisoning or pressure on brain
Chest Pain
Heart Attack: occurs when the oxygen-rich blood supply to part of the heart is blocked
To care for chest pain associated with a heart attack:
 Call 9-1-1
 Have the victim rest
 Give nitroglycerin if prescribed
 Give 4 chewable aspirin or one regular aspirin
Respiratory Infection
Pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy, cough, fever, and a sore throat can also cause chest pain
Breathing Difficulty
Asthma: condition in which air passages narrow and mucus builds up, resulting in poor oxygen
exchange
 Triggered by allergy, cold exposure, and smoke
Hyperventilation: fast breathing which can be cause by emotional stress, anxiety, and medical
conditions
Recognizing Breathing Difficulty
 Breathing that is abnormally fast or slow
 Breathing that is abnormally deep or shallow
 Noisy breathing including wheezing or gurgling crowing or snoring sounds
 Bluish lips
 Need to pause while speaking to catch breath
Care for Breathing Difficulty
 Help the victim into the most comfortable position, usually seated upright
 Call 9-1-1
 Assist with inhaler if prescribed
 If hyperventilating have them inhale through nose, hold breath and exhale slowly
Fainting
Fainting can happen suddenly when blood flow to the brain is interrupted
Recognizing Fainting
 Sudden, brief unresponsiveness
 Pale skin
 Sweating
Care for Fainting
 Check responsiveness and breathing and provide care as needed
 Loosen any restrictive clothing
 If the victim fell, check for injuries
Seizures
Seizure: results from an abnormal stimulation of the brain’s cells
Causes can lead to seizures:
 Epilepsy
 Heatstroke
 Poisoning
 Electric shock
 Hypoglycemia
 High fever
 Brain injury, tumor, or stroke
 Alcohol or other drug withdrawal or abuse
Recognizing a seizure
 Sudden falling
 Unresponsiveness
 Rigid body and arching of the back
 Jerky muscle movement
Care for a seizure
 Prevent injury by moving away any dangerous objects
 Loosen any restrictive clothing
 Roll the victim onto his or her side to help keep the airway clear
 Call 9-1-1 for seizures occurring for no known reason
Diabetic Emergencies
Diabetes results when the body fails to produce sufficient amounts of insulin
 Type 1: People with type 1 require external insulin to allow glucose to pass from the
blood into cells
 Type 2: People with type 2 may not be dependent on external insulin to allow glucose
into cells and may take only oral medication to help control the disease
Recognizing Low Blood Glucose
Hypoglycemia: very low blood glucose can be cause by too much insulin, too little food intake,
exercise, or illness
Signs of low blood glucose
 Sudden onset of symptoms
 Staggering, poor coordination
 Anger, bad temper
 Pale skin
 Confusion, disorientation
 Sudden hunger
 Excessive sweating
 Trembling
 Seizure
 Unresponsiveness
Care for low blood glucose
 Give sugar
 If no improvement call 9-1-1
Recognizing High Blood Glucose
Hyperglycemia: occurs when the body has too much glucose in the blood but is unable to get it
to the cells
Caused by insufficient insulin, overeating, inactivity, illness or stress
Signs of high blood glucose
 Gradual onset of symptoms
 Drowsiness
 Extreme thirst
 Very frequent urination
 Warm and dry skin
 Vomiting
 Fruity, sweet breath odor
 Rapid breathing
 Unresponsiveness
Care for High Blood Glucose
 Provide care for low blood glucose if uncertain
 No improvements, call 9-1-1
Emergency during Pregnancy
Signs of emergencies
 Vaginal bleeding
 Cramps in the lower abdomen
 Swelling of hands, feet, or face
 Severe continuous headache
 Dizziness or fainting
 Blurring of vision or seeing spots
 Uncontrollable vomiting
Care for Pregnancy Emergencies
 Keep her warm and on her left side
 Use a sanitary napkin for bleeding
 Save blood-soaked pass for medical care
 Seek medical care
Chapter 13: Medical Emergencies
Changes in Consciousness
The mnemonic STOP offers clues when you notice changes in consciousness and you are not
sure what is causing it
 S: ____________________________________________
 T: Temperature
 O: ____________________________________________
 P: Poisoning or pressure on brain
Chest Pain
Heart Attack: occurs when the oxygen-rich blood supply to part of the heart is blocked
To care for chest pain associated with a heart attack:
 Call 9-1-1
 ____________________________________________
 Give nitroglycerin if prescribed
 Give 4 chewable aspirin or one regular aspirin
Respiratory Infection
Pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy, cough, fever, and a sore throat can also cause chest pain
Breathing Difficulty
Asthma: condition in which air passages narrow and mucus builds up, resulting in poor oxygen
exchange
 Triggered ____________________________________________
Hyperventilation: fast breathing which can be cause by emotional stress, anxiety, and medical
conditions
Recognizing Breathing Difficulty
 Breathing that is abnormally fast or slow
 ____________________________________________
 Noisy breathing including wheezing or gurgling crowing or snoring sounds
 ____________________________________________
 Need to pause while speaking to catch breath
Care for Breathing Difficulty
 Help the victim into the most comfortable position, usually seated upright
 ____________________________________________
 ____________________________________________
 If hyperventilating have them inhale through nose, hold breath and exhale slowly
Fainting
Fainting can happen suddenly when blood flow to the brain is interrupted
Recognizing Fainting
 Sudden, brief unresponsiveness
 ____________________________________________
 Sweating
Care for Fainting
 Check responsiveness and breathing and provide care as needed
 ____________________________________________
 If the victim fell, check for injuries
Seizures
Seizure: results from an abnormal stimulation of the brain’s cells
Causes can lead to seizures:
 ____________________________________________
 Heatstroke
 ____________________________________________
 Electric shock
 Hypoglycemia
 ____________________________________________
 Brain injury, tumor, or stroke
 Alcohol or other drug withdrawal or abuse
Recognizing a seizure
 Sudden falling
 ____________________________________________
 Rigid body and arching of the back
 Jerky muscle movement
Care for a seizure
 Prevent injury by moving away any dangerous objects
 Loosen any restrictive clothing
 ____________________________________________
 Call 9-1-1 for seizures occurring for no known reason
Diabetic Emergencies
Diabetes results when the body fails to produce sufficient amounts of insulin
 Type 1: People with type 1 require external insulin to allow glucose to pass from the
blood into cells
 Type 2: People with type 2 may not be dependent on external insulin to allow glucose
into cells and may take only oral medication to help control the disease
Recognizing Low Blood Glucose
Hypoglycemia: very low blood glucose can be cause by too much insulin, too little food intake,
exercise, or illness
Signs of low blood glucose
 Sudden onset of symptoms
 Staggering, poor coordination
 ____________________________________________
 Pale skin
 Confusion, disorientation
 ____________________________________________
 Excessive sweating
 ____________________________________________
 Seizure
 Unresponsiveness
Care for low blood glucose
 ____________________________________________
 If no improvement call 9-1-1
Recognizing High Blood Glucose
Hyperglycemia: occurs when the body has too much glucose in the blood but is unable to get it
to the cells
Caused by insufficient insulin, overeating, inactivity, illness or stress
Signs of high blood glucose
 Gradual onset of symptoms
 Drowsiness
 ____________________________________________
 Very frequent urination
 Warm and dry skin
 ____________________________________________
 Fruity, sweet breath odor
 ____________________________________________
 Unresponsiveness
Care for High Blood Glucose
 Provide care for low blood glucose if uncertain
 No improvements, call 9-1-1
Emergency during Pregnancy
Signs of emergencies
 Vaginal bleeding
 Cramps in the lower abdomen
 Swelling of hands, feet, or face
 Severe continuous headache
 Dizziness or fainting
 Blurring of vision or seeing spots
 Uncontrollable vomiting
Care for Pregnancy Emergencies
 Keep her warm and on her left side
 Use a sanitary napkin for bleeding
 Save blood-soaked pass for medical care
 Seek medical care