Dealing with Acute Situations and Medical Emergencies

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering acute care, respiratory and cardiac emergencies, trauma imaging, shock classifications, contrast-media reactions, and diabetic and neurological conditions.

Airway Obstruction

Blockage of the respiratory airway usually caused by a foreign object (choking), managed in adults with abdominal thrusts and in infants or small children by alternating back blows with chest thrusts.

Reactive Airway Disease

A respiratory condition characterized by coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath that requires calling for assistance.

Pulmonary Embolism (PE)

A foreign substance such as a blood clot, fat, or air that travels through the vascular system and lodges in one of the pulmonary vessels.

Acute Coronary Syndrome

A medical designation denoting a group of symptoms that indicate myocardial infarction (MI) or heart attack, such as sudden, intense pain.

Angina Pectoris

Episodes of chest pain precipitated by exertion or stress that are usually relieved by rest or the sublingual administration of nitroglycerin.

Cardiac Arrest

The sudden cessation of effective cardiac pumping, identified by unresponsiveness to shaking and shouting, absent carotid pulse, and absent respirations.

Defibrillator

An electrical device turned on to deliver an electric shock to correct an ineffective cardiac rhythm; personnel must stand at least $2\,\text{feet}$ away during administration.

Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)

A portable device that takes $5\text{--}15\,\text{seconds}$ to analyze cardiac rhythm without patient movement, automatically charging and instructing to deliver a shock if ventricular fibrillation is detected.

Glasgow Coma Scale

An objective scoring system used to assess the changing status of coma and head-injury patients across eye opening, verbal response, and motor response, with a maximum score of $15$.

Cross-Table Lateral C-Spine

The first radiographic image obtained for a trauma patient, taken with immobilization in place and evaluated by an emergency department physician before moving the patient.

Log-Rolling

A specialized maneuver used to safely turn or reposition trauma patients who are assumed to have a spinal injury.

Hemothorax

An accumulation of blood within the pleural space, typically treated with a thoracotomy.

Pneumothorax

An accumulation of free air within the pleural space, typically treated with a thoracotomy.

Flail Chest

A condition resulting from multiple rib fractures that requires close observation for secondary shock and hemorrhage.

Cardiac Tamponade

Hemorrhage occurring into the pericardial sac surrounding the heart.

Compound Fracture

An open bone fracture in which fragments of bone pierce and protrude through the skin.

Closed Fracture

A bone fracture that has no accompanying open wound or breach of the skin.

Postsurgical Wound Dehiscence

The separation or pulling apart of surgical sutures following an operative procedure.

Evisceration

The total protrusion of internal abdominal organs through a separated postsurgical wound.

Shock

A failure of circulation in which blood pressure is inadequate to support oxygen perfusion of vital tissues and is unable to remove metabolic by-products.

Hypovolemic Shock

Circulatory failure caused by massive loss of blood or plasma due to internal/external hemorrhage, severe burns, or dehydration.

Septic Shock

A form of circulatory shock caused by a severe, often systemic infection.

Neurogenic Shock

A failure of arterial resistance that causes blood to pool in peripheral vessels, typically occurring after nervous system or spinal injuries.

Cardiogenic Shock

Circulatory failure resulting directly from cardiac failure or interference with normal heart function.

Anaphylactic Shock

An allergic shock reaction occurring upon exposure to foreign substances to which a person is sensitized, characterized by rapid blood pressure drops and severe dyspnea.

Syncope

The medical term for fainting, recognized as a mild form of shock and treated by assisting the patient into a supine position with elevated feet.

Psychological Shock

A psychological reaction now termed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), differing substantially in symptoms, signs, and treatment from physiologic shock.

Mild Contrast Reaction

A benign contrast-media reaction presenting with warmth, flushing, metallic taste, coughing, and nausea, which resolves spontaneously without treatment.

Moderate Contrast Reaction

A contrast-media reaction presenting with erythema, urticaria, or bronchospasm, treated using oral, IV, or IM antihistamines and inhaled bronchodilators.

Severe Contrast Reaction

A life-threatening anaphylactic reaction marked by laryngeal/bronchial edema, dysphagia, seizures, or cardiac arrest, treated by maintaining airway, calling a code, and administering IV epinephrine.

Vasovagal Reaction

A response to contrast media characterized by diaphoresis, hypotension, and bradycardia, treated with supine positioning, elevating the feet $20^\circ$, IV fluids, and atropine.

Diabetes Insipidus

A disorder of the kidney or pituitary gland characterized by polyuria, severe thirst, fever, vomiting, and convulsions, requiring essential fluid replacement.

Diabetes Mellitus Type I

The insulin-dependent form of diabetes mellitus characterized by extreme thirst, polyuria, fruity-smelling breath, and a heightened risk of diabetic coma.

Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic (HHNK) Syndrome

An emergent metabolic condition occurring in neglected type II diabetes mellitus resulting from profound dehydration and hyperglycemia.

Hypoglycemia

Low blood sugar occurring when insulin is taken and a meal is skipped, presenting with sudden weakness, sweating, tremors, and hunger, treated with sweet fruit juice, candy, or oral glucose gel.

Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)

An interruption of blood flow to the brain caused by vascular occlusion or hemorrhage, commonly referred to as a stroke.

FAST

A mnemonic for identifying stroke warning signs: Facial droop, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and Time to call 9-1-1.

Grand Mal Seizure

A major motor seizure presentation characterized by trembling, shaking, or violent tonic-clonic muscle spasms.

Petite Mal Seizure

An absence seizure characterized by a brief loss of consciousness.

Orthostatic Hypotension

Transient dizziness brought on by sitting upright abruptly from a prolonged recumbent position, prevented by assisting the patient to sit up slowly.

Vertigo

A sensation of severe dizziness often accompanied by nausea, caused by an inner-ear disturbance, brain/spinal lesion, drug interaction, TIA, or CVA.

Epistaxis

The medical term for a nosebleed, treated by applying direct gloved pressure to the nasal septum for $10\,\text{min}$.

Pleural Effusion

An abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, noted as a potential respiratory complication of burns or trauma.