This Is The Condition That Must Be Treated In The Emergency Room

The emergency department or also known as the ER is one of the sections or departments in the hospital that specializes in prioritizing services for patients with life-threatening conditions. The medical team at the ER can also provide medical services for patients who are not in an emergency. Some types of patients treated in the ER are generally accident patients, patients with acute and chronic diseases that are life threatening, or emergencies that require immediate treatment, such as poisoning. The emergency room provides emergency care and medication for initial treatment.

Conditions that must be handled immediately by the ER

Some people don't really know what conditions can or should be treated in the ER. The following are some of the conditions that need to get special treatment at the ER immediately:

• Heart attack and cardiac arrest

A heart attack is a condition in which one of the heart's blood vessels has become blocked. Heart attacks sometimes show symptoms such as sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, chest feels like pressed, and feels full. Pain in the chest can also arise and can spread to other parts such as the shoulder, both arms, back, stomach, and even the lower jaw. This is an emergency condition that requires quick treatment, and needs to be taken immediately to the hospital emergency room, because a heart attack that is not treated quickly can cause cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is a condition in which the patient's heart functions stop suddenly, causing blood flow to stop. This condition can make a patient lose consciousness and not breathe.

• Physical injury due to accident

An accident that causes many injuries or physical injuries is also a condition that is prioritized by the ER. For example, injuries due to traffic accidents, burns, bleeding that does not stop, injuries to the head or spine, injuries due to electric shock or lightning, and so forth.

• Difficulty breathing

All conditions that cause breathing difficulties, shortness of breath, or respiratory failure so that the body lacks oxygen, included in the category of conditions that require treatment in Difficulty in breathing can occur due to problems in the lungs and respiratory tract, such as asthma attacks, pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, pneumonia, lung swelling, anemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, to asphyxiation due to anaphylactic. These conditions are emergencies in breathing.

• Stroke

One of the emergency conditions that need to be treated as quickly as possible in the ER is a stroke. This condition can be caused by blocked blood vessels of the brain, or due to rupture of blood vessels of the brain. Symptoms include difficulty speaking or walking, weakness or paralysis in limbs, visual disturbances, headaches, and decreased consciousness.

• Poisoning

Poisoning is a condition that also requires immediate handling of the ER. Poisoning here can mean inhaling, swallowing or touching toxic substances, for example food poisoning, and drug or alcohol overdoses.

In addition to the above conditions, there are still many other conditions or signs that must be treated in the ER, namely:

• Passed out
• Severe chest pain that radiates to the arms, shoulders or jaw.
• Unusual and sudden headaches.
• Convulsions.
• Active bleeding that is difficult to stop.
• Coughing or vomiting blood.
• High fever with stiff head and neck pain.
• Diarrhea that does not stop.
• Suicide attempt.

Priority of Service in the Emergency Room Based on Emergencyness

The emergency room also treats non-emergency conditions, but the priority scale of service is preferred is the condition of emergency patients. Unlike if you go to a clinic, where a queue number is applied based on who registers or who comes first. The ER applies a priority management system based on the level of emergency of the patient's condition, namely:

• Category I: Must be helped immediately

People who need immediate treatment and must be treated by a medical team no later than two minutes after arriving at the ER, are categorized as patients with critical conditions that are life threatening. For example in patients with cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, and coma.

• Category II: Great

Patients with critical conditions and extreme pain, for example patients with severe chest pain, difficulty breathing or severe fractures, and seizures. This condition is categorized as an emergency or has a life-threatening condition, namely patients who need immediate treatment at least within 10 minutes after arriving at the ER.

• Category III: Potential for deterioration

People who need treatment at least within 30 minutes of arriving at the emergency room, are categorized as important or urgent, namely patients who have potentially life-threatening conditions, such as suffering from severe illness, heavy bleeding due to injury, or experiencing severe dehydration.

• Category IV: Serious but not urgent conditions

Patients with moderate to severe injury or symptoms, such as patients with foreign objects that get into the eye, ankle sprains, migraines or earaches. These conditions are included in the serious category but not emergency. Patients in this category need treatment at least one hour after arriving at the ER.

• Category V: Non-urgent

Patients with injuries or mild symptoms, which usually have been experienced for more than a week, such as rashes or mild aches and pains, fall into the fifth category or non-urgent conditions. Patients in this category can wait up to a maximum of two hours, before being treated by a doctor.

Regarding how emergency your condition is when you come to the emergency room, there will be a doctor or a special nurse in the emergency room that determines the category of your condition. So, patients are expected to understand the service system in the ER and patiently wait, especially if there are a lot of patients with more serious conditions than you. ER doctors and nurses will work to the maximum extent so that patients feel comfortable and not wait too long. While waiting, the ER nurse will continue to monitor the patient's condition, and immediately report it to the doctor if the patient's condition changes or worsens.