Incidents and Emergency Situations

What does the department director do?

• Maintains a safe environment

• Writes and publishes policies and procedures

• Prepares, inspects, and maintains physical environment and equipment

• Maintain patient and personal safety

• Communicate and delegate tasks with staff during a medical emergency

What does the support medical staff do?

• Follow written procedures for particular emergencies

• Change their role depending on the situation

What are some emergency situations?

• Allergic reactions

• Lacerations

• Heart attack and/or stroke

• Burns

• Fractures

• Seizures

• Orthostatic hypotension

• Blood cots

• Autonomic dysreflexia

What is an allergic reaction?

• When the immune system overreacts to an allergen

• Mild/moderate - rash, itching, redness, sneezing, watery eyes

• Can be: life threatening caused swelling in the face or throat, cause difficulty speaking, wheezing and/or dizziness

What is an adverse effect (from medication)?

A symptom that occurs form a medicine that was not intended

What should you do for lacerations?

• Prevent contamination and control bleeding

• Wash hands, apply gloves, and apply pressure to the bleeding area, and CALL FOR HELP

• Arterial bleeds will be pulsating

What is shock? What should you do about it?

• This happens when there is a lack of blood and oxygen to organs and tissues

• Causes:

  • Very low BP

  • Pale, moist, cool, skin

  • Irregular breathing

  • Dilated pupil s

  • Dizziness or nausea

• What to do:

  • Reduce or remove the cause

  • Get help

  • Monitor BP and HR

What is orthostatic hypotension?

• Mostly occurs when standing up quickly from a stooped, kneeling, recumbent, or sitting position

• Caused by a dec in venous return from the LE, a dec filing of the left ventricle, dec in cardiac output, and dec in cerebral perfusion

• Systolic BP dec by 20mmHg or more

• Diastolic BP dec by 10 mmHg or more

What are sympotoms or signs of shock?

• Pale, moist cool skin

• Shallow and irregular breathing

• Dilated pupils

• Weak or rapid pulse

• Dizziness

• Nausea

How do you react to orthostatic hypotension?

• Wrap legs with compression wraps

• Apply elastic hose/socks

• Have pt do ankle pumps o

• Give pt time in an upright position

• Use a tilt table

What are tests to assess balance and fall risk?

• Tinetti assessment

• Berg balance test

• TUG

What is a heart attack?

• AKA myocardial infarction

• One or more coronary arteries become blocked and ischemia of the heart muscle occurs in the distribution of that artery

• Signs include: pain, discomfort or heaviness on the chest, feelings of heartburn, shortness of breath coughing, wheezing, dizziness, and easily fatigued

What happens to troponin when an MI occurs?

Troponin levels will be higher

What do you do when an MI occurs?

• If longer than 5 min, call 911

• Sit or lie down

• Chew a baby aspirin

• Begin CPR if person is unconscious or has no pulse

What is a stroke?

• The brain isn’t getting enough blood from either a blockage (Ischemic) or a ruptured blood vessel (hemorrhagic)

What are signs of a stroke?

• Numbness or weakness on one side of the body

• Facial droop on one side

• Confusion

• Difficulty speaking or swallowing

• Dizziness

• Severe headache

• Uncoordinated movements

What to do if a stoke occurs?

• B - Balance

• E - Eyes

• F - Face

• A - Arm

• S - Speech

• T - Time

What to do when a seizure occurs?

• Place pt in a safe area

• DO NOT try to immobilize the patient

• Note the time seizure began and ended

• Turn pt’s head to the side (in case of vomiting)

What is heat exhaustion?

• Least threatening to life

• Caused by: hot, humid environment, dec fluid intake, vigorous physical activity, dehydration, depletion of body electrolytes

What is a heat stroke?

• Medical emergency

• Caused by: hot, humid environment, dec fluid intake, vigorous physical activity, dehydration, depletion of body electrolytes

What is code blue?

Cardiac/respiratory arrest

What is code red?

Fire outbreak

What is code orange?

Security breach

What is rapid response?

Send a designated team to a specific area to determine if a pt is having a negative change of status