An emergency room in a hospital refers to a strictly allotted room to treat patients who come for the emergency procedures. An emergency room is also known as an emergency department. Some other names for the emergency room are Accident and Emergency Department, Emergency Ward, and Casualty Department.
Emergency Department – a brief overview
Though the other departments require a prior appointment, it is not the same for an emergency room. The patients walk in on their own or are carried to the department through the ambulances in case of severe urgency. As an emergency can happen anytime, it should work 24 hours a day for a whole week around.
The Emergency Department is maintained in an organized way to treat all types of critical and emergency conditions.
There’s no specific branch specialty here. The room is equipped with all the instruments to cater to a patient’s needs.
Initial treatment is given to the patients because, in emergency-like situations, prior pieces of information can’t be accessed from the patients.
The ward is equipped to work in life-threatening situations and is functional round the clock. Doctors and the medical staff in an emergency room have the multidimensional knowledge to work in emergency medical situations.
Some of the common medical situations dealt with in an emergency room are:
- Heart Attack
- Accidents
- Trauma
- Asthma
- Respiratory Failure
Common Equipment in an Emergency Room:
As many medical emergencies are dealt with in an emergency room, there needs to be a proper setup maintained to help the doctors and the nurse carry out their duties well. Some of the common types of equipment that are seen in emergency departments are:
- Stethoscope: A stethoscope is a common medical instrument found in an emergency department. A stethoscope is highly useful for both doctors as well as nurses. A doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to a patient’s heartbeat, check for any abnormality in the heart’s rhythm, or check the lung’s functionality in case of low oxygen.
- Cardiac Monitor: A cardiac monitor is kept in an emergency room to check for the heart’s rhythm. It is very important to have a cardiac monitor to check any abnormalities happening in a patient’s heart. A cardiac monitor also has an alarm to inform the nurses straight away if the patient’s heartbeat drops.
- Suture Tray: Many cases of emergencies are road accidents. Many people who are brought to the emergency room come with badly wounded and bruised bodies. It is highly important to have a suture tray so that the severe wounds and the suturing can be done quickly and easily. The staff presents in an emergency room are highly skilled in suturing.
- Orthopedic Instruments: As the patients come for emergency procedures, many cases of fractures and emergency orthopedic surgeries are reported. It is highly important to have all the necessary orthopedic instruments available not to delay the treatment.
Common Medical Emergencies of The Emergency Department:
The common medical emergencies handled by the doctors in the emergency room are:
- Cardiac Arrest: The cardiac medical emergency is the highest medical emergency dealt with in an emergency room. Patients are found unconscious and are carried to the emergency room in a hurry. The patients are handled with utmost priority and preciseness as it’s a life-threatening situation.
- Heart Attack is the second-most common situation handled in an emergency room. The medical emergencies reported across the country for heart attacks are very high. Heart attack is often diagnosed with a blockage in any one of the heart arteries that leads to low oxygen availability in the blood.
- Trauma and Accidents: Major emergencies are also reported of road accidents. Many trauma centers are seen along the highways to prevent any casualties due to accidents. In the emergency room, a suture tray, cotton swabs, and other medical types of equipment are present that can treat road accident patients.
- Orthopedic emergencies: People can fall suddenly and break their bones. An orthopedic doctor is not available around the clock. Therefore, all orthopedic emergencies are dealt with in the emergency ward to provide first aid to the patient and help them recover well.
Conclusion
All the critical situations should be dealt with utmost importance and care. One should not hesitate to visit the emergency department in case of any help. All the patients are looked at properly by the skilled staff and are functional all day long.
