The emergency unit or also known as the ER is a special part or department in a hospital prioritize service on patients with life-threatening conditions. Team mEDIS in the ER can also provide medical services for patients who are not in an emergency situation.
Several types of patients treated in the ER are generally accident patients, patients with acute or chronic life-threatening illnesses, or emergencies that require immediate treatment, such as poisoning cases. The ER provides emergency care and treatment for initial treatment.
Conditions that the ER Must Treat Immediately
Some people don't really know what conditions can or should be treated in the ER. The following are some conditions that must immediately receive special treatment in the ER:
- Attack jheart and cardiac arrest
A heart attack is a condition in which one of the arteries of the heart becomes blocked. Heart attacks sometimes show symptoms such as sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, a feeling of pressure in the chest, and a feeling of fullness.
Pain in the chest can also arise and can spread to other parts such as the shoulders, arms, back, abdomen, and even the lower jaw. This is an emergency condition that requires prompt treatment, and needs to be rushed to the hospital emergency room immediately, because a heart attack that is not treated quickly can lead to cardiac arrest.
Cardiac arrest is a condition in which a patient's heart function stops suddenly, causing blood flow to stop. This condition can make the patient lose consciousness and not breathe.
- Injury fphysical akibat kaccident
Accidents that cause multiple injuries or physical injuries are also conditions that are prioritized by the ER. For example, injuries from traffic accidents, burns, bleeding that doesn't stop, injuries to the head or spine, injuries due to electric shock or being struck by lightning, and so on.
- Difficulty breathing
All conditions that cause difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or respiratory failure so that the body is deprived of oxygen, are included in the category of conditions that require immediate treatment
Difficulty 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 shortness of breath due to anaphylaxis, for example. due to drug allergies or bee stings. These conditions are respiratory emergencies.
- strokeOne of the emergency conditions that need to be treated immediately in the ER is a stroke. This condition can be caused by blockage of a blood vessel in the brain, or due to a rupture in a blood vessel in the brain. Symptoms include difficulty speaking or walking, weakness or paralysis of limbs, visual disturbances, headaches, and decreased consciousness.
- PoisoningPoisoning is a condition that also requires immediate ER treatment. Poisoning here can mean inhaling, ingesting or touching toxic substances, such as food poisoning, as well as drug or alcohol overdose.
Apart from the above conditions, there are many other conditions or signs that must be treated in the ER, namely:
- Faint
- Severe chest pain that radiates to the arm, shoulder or jaw.
- Headaches that are unusual and appear suddenly.
- seizures.
- Active bleeding that is difficult to stop.
- Coughing or vomiting blood.
- High fever with headache and stiff neck.
- Diarrhea that doesn't stop.
- Attempted suicide.
Priority of Service in the Emergency Room Based on the Emergency
The ER also handles non-emergency conditions, but the priority scale of service that is prioritized is the condition of emergency patients. It's not like if you go to the polyclinic for treatment, where a queue number is applied based on who registers or who comes first. The ER applies a priority treatment system based on the emergency level of the patient's condition, namely:
- Category I: Need help immediatelyPeople 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 life-threatening conditions. For example, in patients with cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, and coma.
- Category II: emergencyPatients in critical condition and in extreme pain, eg patients with severe chest pain, difficulty breathing or severe fractures, and convulsions. This condition is categorized as an emergency or has a life-threatening condition, namely patients who require immediate treatment at least within 10 minutes of arriving at the ER.
- Category III: Potential to get worsePeople who need treatment at least within 30 minutes of arriving at the ED, are categorized as critical or urgent, namely patients who have potentially life-threatening conditions, such as suffering from a serious illness, bleeding profusely from an injury, or experiencing severe dehydration.
- Category IV: Serious condition but not an emergencyPatients with moderate injury conditions or symptoms, eg patients with foreign bodies entering the eyes, ankle sprains, migraines or ear pain. These conditions fall into the category of serious but not emergency. Patients in this category require treatment for at least one hour after arriving at the ED.
- Category V: Not urgentPatients with an injury condition or mild symptoms, which usually have been experienced for more than a week, such as a rash or mild aches and pains, fall into the fifth category or conditions that are not urgent. 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 ER, there will be a special doctor or nurse in the ER who will determine the category of your condition. So, patients are expected to understand the service system in the ER and be patient to wait, especially if there are a lot of patients whose condition is more serious than you. ER doctors and nurses will do their best to make patients feel comfortable and not wait too long. While waiting, the emergency room nurse will continue to monitor the patient's condition, and immediately report it to the doctor if the patient's condition changes or worsens.