In modern medicine, there is the concept of "emergency conditions" (or urgent conditions). So called the state of the human body, which pose an immediate danger to the life of the patient. Urgent conditions require immediate emergency treatment (first aid), diagnosis and treatment of a pathological condition.
The primary task in this case is not to cure the patient, but to transfer him from a critical and serious condition to a stable one.
Today, emergency conditions are the most susceptible to study and research. Both theoretical and practical tests are conducted to optimize patient stabilization schemes. In the process of such studies and experiments, doctors work out the clarity and sequence of actions of treatment.
Emergency conditions can be caused by a variety of pathologies and, depending on this, require various schemes and approaches for stopping. Most often, such pathologies are found in surgical and cardiological practice. So, emergency conditions in surgery can be caused by the following abruptly developing pathologies: duodenal ulcer or stomach ulcer (most often with perforation or penentration of the latter), pancreatitis, appendicitis (with the threat of rupture of its wall and the development of peritonitis), peritonitis itself (developing with any surgical pathology) and others. Such pathological processes require immediate emergency treatment.
Emergency conditions in cardiology are most often represented by myocardial infarction, heart block, coronary heart disease, rhythm disturbance, conduction or excitability of the heart.
The scheme of medical care in case of urgent condition:
- the implementation of a complex of manipulations to provide first aid (performed by an outside person who has witnessed the deteriorating condition of the patient),
- pre- medical care (performed by paramedical personnel, ambulance team),
- emergency medical care (provided by highly qualified specialists in the intensive care unit)
Emergency conditions such as prolonged loss of consciousness or coma of unspecified genesis require immediate intravenous administration of thiamine, glucose and naloxone (jet).
These three drugs perform not only therapeutic, but also diagnostic function.
40% glucose is administered at a dosage of 80 milliliters. This solution is able to restore consciousness to patients with coma caused by hypoglycemia. In the event that the coma is caused by another pathological process, glucose will serve as a necessary source of energy in this state.
Thiamine is administered intravenously in an amount of 100 mg for the active prevention of Wernicke encephalopathy, as a complication of alcoholic coma. Naloxone performs its function in the event that the coma was caused by poisoning by opiates.
In most cases, an insufficient amount of time to diagnose a pathological condition makes it necessary to assume the disease according to the clinical manifestations and some quickly feasible laboratory and instrumental data. The effectiveness of treatment, and even the life of the patient, depends on the correct interpretation of the available data.
In the treatment of such patients, special attention must be paid to safety precautions, since data on a person and his diseases are most often not available, which does not exclude the presence of hepatitis, tuberculosis or the human immunodeficiency virus. All manipulations (medical and diagnostic) must be carried out taking into account this feature.