Medical emergencies

These are situations which require immediate management by a physician.

 

Always a medical emergency

When these situations are significantly probable, urgent medical review is indicated.
Immediate medical intervention may prevent disability or death.

• Acute adrenal insufficiency
• Acute coronary syndrom
• Acute hypernatraemia
• Acute hyponatraemia
• Acute kidney injury
• Acute severe asthma
• Anaphylactic shock 
• Coma
• Diabetic coma
• Diabetic hypoglycaemia
• Diabetic ketoacidosis
• Disseminated intravascular coagulation
• Encephalitis
• Endocrine shock
• Epiglottitis
• Giant-cell arteritis
• Heart block
• Hepatic encephalopathy
• Hepatorenal syndrome
• Hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state
• Hyperthermia
• Hypothermia
• Iron poisoning 
• Laryngotracheobronchitis
• Meningoencephalitis 
• Meningitis
• Myocardial infarction
• Neurogenic shock
• Obstructive shock
• Pulmonary embolism 
• Pulmonary oedema
• Raised intracranial pressure
• Respiratory failure 
• Sepsis
• Serotonin syndrome 
• Status epilepticus
• Tension pneumothorax
• Traumatic brain injury
• Ventricular fibrillation

 

Always an emergency, could be medical or surgical

These are emergencies which may be resolved by urgent surgical, medical or anaesthetic intervention. There may be resolution without any surgical involvement.

• Amoebic liver abscess
• Brain herniation
• Giant-cell arteritis 
• Infective endocarditis
• Necrotising enterocolitis 
• Septic arthritis

 

Potentially an emergency

These situations are variable: they range from mild to severe.
There are specific indications for urgent surgical involvement (e.g. magnitude of fluid loss, age of patient, signs of neurovascular dysfunction).

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