List of medical emergencies
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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The following is a list of symptoms and conditions that signal or constitute a possible medical emergency and may require immediate first aid, emergency room care, surgery, or care by a physician or nurse. Please note that not all medical emergencies listed below are life-threatening; some conditions require medical attention in order to prevent significant and long-lasting effects on physical or mental health.
Injury and illness
- Abdominal pain, severe
- Appendicitis (leading to peritonitis)
- Bone fracture, compound
- Chest pain, acute
- Cholecystitis
- Drug overdose or withdrawal
- Ear injury
- Electric shock
- Gangrene
- Head trauma
- Hyperthermia (heat stroke or sunstroke)
- Hypothermia or frostbite
- Intestinal obstruction
- Pancreatitis
- Peritonitis
- Poisoning
- Food poisoning
- Venomous animal bite
- Ruptured spleen
- Septic arthritis
- Septicaemia blood infection
- Severe burn (including scalding and chemical burns)
- Spreading wound infection
- Suspected spinal injury
Infections
- Lyme disease infection
- Malaria infection
- Rabies infection
- Salmonella poisoning
Cardiac and circulatory
- Air embolism
- Aortic aneurysm (ruptured)
- Aortic dissection
- Bleeding
- Cardiac arrest
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Cardiac tamponade
- Hypertensive emergency
- Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Subdural hematoma, acute
- Ventricular fibrillation
Metabolic
- Acute renal failure
- Addisonian crisis (seen in those with Addison's disease)
- Dehydration, advanced
- Diabetic coma
- Electrolyte disturbance, severe (along with dehydration, possible with severe diarrhea or vomiting, chronic laxative abuse, and severe burns)
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- Lactic acidosis
- Malnutrition and starvation (as in extreme anorexia and bulimia)
- Thyroid storm
Neurological and psychiatric
- Attempted suicide, non-fatal
- Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
- Convulsion or seizure
- Meningitis
- Psychotic episode
- Suicidal ideation
- Syncope (fainting)
Ophthalmological
Respiratory
- Agonal breathing
- Asphyxia
- Asthma, acute
- Epiglottitis or severe croup
- Pneumothorax
- Pulmonary embolism
- Respiratory failure
Shock
- Anaphylaxis
- Cardiogenic shock
- Hypovolemic shock (due to hemorrhage)
- Neurogenic shock
- Obstructive shock (e.g., massive pulmonary embolism)
- Septic shock