Outline of emergency medicine

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to emergency medicine:

Emergency medicine – medical specialty involving care for undifferentiated, unscheduled patients with acute illnesses or injuries that require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency physicians undertake acute investigations and interventions to resuscitate and stabilize patients. Emergency physicians generally practice in hospital emergency departments, pre-hospital settings via emergency medical services, and intensive care units.

Presentations

 * Abdominal pain
 * Altered level of consciousness
 * Back pain
 * Chest pain
 * Coma
 * Confusion
 * Constipation
 * Cyanosis
 * Diarrhea
 * Dizziness
 * Dyspnea
 * Fever
 * Gastrointestinal bleeding
 * Headache
 * Hemoptysis
 * Jaundice
 * Nausea and vomiting
 * Pelvic pain
 * Seizure
 * Sore throat
 * Syncope
 * Testicular pain
 * Vaginal bleeding
 * Vertigo
 * Weakness

Types of emergencies
Listed below are conditions that constitute a possible medical emergency and may require immediate first aid, emergency room care, surgery, or care by a physician or nurse. Not all medical emergencies are life-threatening; some conditions require medical attention in order to prevent significant and long-lasting effects on physical or mental health.

Blood

 * Anemia
 * Polycythemia
 * Acute promyelocytic leukemia
 * Disseminated intravascular coagulation

Children

 * Croup
 * Limp

Endocrine

 * Acid base disorder
 * Diabetes mellitus
 * Rhabdomyolysis
 * Thyroid storm
 * Adrenal crisis
 * Addisonian crisis
 * Dehydration
 * Diabetic coma
 * Diabetic ketoacidosis
 * Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state
 * Hypoglycemic coma
 * Electrolyte disturbance
 * Hepatic encephalopathy
 * Hypercalcemic crisis
 * Lactic acidosis
 * Malnutrition and starvation
 * Pheochromocytoma

Environmental

 * Accidental hypothermia
 * Drowning
 * Electric shock and lightning injuries
 * Frostbite
 * Heat illness
 * Radiation injuries
 * Scuba diving hazards and dysbarism

Eyes

 * Acute angle-closure glaucoma
 * Giant-cell arteritis
 * Orbital perforation or penetration
 * Retinal detachment

Gastrointestinal

 * Appendicitis
 * Biliary colic
 * Cholecystitis
 * Gastroenteritis
 * Small bowel obstruction
 * Crohn's disease
 * Peritonitis

Genitourinary

 * Acute prostatitis
 * Paraphimosis
 * Priapism
 * Testicular torsion
 * Urinary retention
 * Kidney failure
 * Sexually transmitted infection

Heart and blood vessels

 * Acute coronary syndrome
 * Air embolism (arterial)
 * Aortic aneurysm (ruptured)
 * Abdominal aortic aneurysm
 * Aortic dissection
 * Bleeding
 * Internal bleeding
 * Hypovolemia
 * Cardiac arrest
 * Cardiac arrhythmia
 * Ventricular fibrillation
 * Supraventricular tachycardia
 * Cardiac tamponade
 * Deep vein thrombosis
 * Heart block
 * Heart failure
 * Hypertensive emergency
 * Infectious endocarditis
 * Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
 * Myocarditis
 * Pericarditis
 * Peripheral vascular disease
 * Pulmonary embolism
 * Valvular heart disease

Infectious disease

 * HIV/AIDS
 * Cellulitis
 * Necrotizing fasciitis
 * Osteomyelitis
 * Rabies
 * Sepsis
 * Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection
 * Septic arthritis
 * Tuberculosis
 * Meningitis
 * Cholera
 * Ear infection
 * Gas gangrene
 * Lyme disease
 * Malaria
 * Neutropenic sepsis
 * Salmonella poisoning

Inflammatory

 * Allergy
 * Anaphylaxis
 * Arthritis
 * Bursitis
 * Systemic lupus erythematosus
 * Vasculitis

Injury

 * Abdominal trauma
 * Nose bleed
 * Appendicitis
 * Ballistic trauma (gunshot wound)
 * Bite
 * Blunt trauma
 * Bone fracture
 * Burns
 * Chest trauma
 * Child abuse
 * Domestic abuse
 * Facial trauma
 * Flail chest
 * Foreign body
 * Fulminant colitis
 * Head injury
 * Hyperthermia (including heat stroke or sunstroke)
 * Malignant hyperthermia
 * Hypothermia or frostbite
 * Intestinal obstruction
 * Pancreatitis
 * Peritonitis
 * Polytrauma
 * Ruptured spleen
 * Sexual assault
 * Spinal disc herniation
 * Spinal injury
 * Sensorineural hearing loss
 * Traumatic brain injury
 * Wound

Lungs and airway

 * Agonal breathing
 * Asphyxia
 * Angioedema
 * Choking
 * Drowning
 * Smoke inhalation
 * Asthma
 * Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
 * Epiglottitis
 * Pleurisy
 * Pneumonia
 * Pneumothorax
 * Pulmonary embolism
 * Respiratory failure
 * Upper respiratory infection

Nephrology

 * Acute kidney injury

Nervous system

 * Spinal-cord injury
 * Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
 * Delirium
 * Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
 * Seizures
 * Status epilepticus
 * Epilepsy
 * Serotonin syndrome
 * Status migrainosus
 * Subarachnoid hemorrhage
 * Subdural hematoma

Pregnancy

 * Ectopic pregnancy
 * Eclampsia
 * Pre-eclampsia
 * HELLP syndrome
 * Fetal distress
 * Obstetrical bleeding
 * Placental abruption
 * Prolapsed cord
 * Puerperal sepsis
 * Shoulder dystocia
 * Uterine rupture

Psychiatric

 * Anxiety
 * Attempted suicide
 * Excited delirium
 * Homicidal ideation
 * Mood disorder
 * Psychomotor agitation
 * Psychotic episode
 * Somatoform disorder
 * Suicidal ideation
 * Thought disorder

Skin

 * Acute urticaria
 * Angioedema
 * Erythema multiforme major
 * Kasabach–Merritt syndrome
 * Toxic epidermal necrolysis

Toxicological

 * Overdose
 * Acetaminophen overdose
 * Aspirin overdose and other NSAIDs
 * Poisoning
 * Beta blocker toxicity
 * Calcium channel blocker toxicity
 * Ethylene glycol poisoning
 * Food poisoning

Gynecologic

 * Gynecologic hemorrhage
 * Ovarian torsion
 * Sexual assault (rape)

Emergency medical care

 * First aid
 * Golden hour
 * Triage

Critical care

 * Acute Care of at-Risk Newborns (ACoRN)
 * Airway management
 * Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP)
 * Mechanical ventilation
 * Shock
 * Resuscitation
 * Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
 * Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
 * Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
 * Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
 * Advanced Trauma Life Support(ATLS)

Life support

 * Basic life support (BLS)
 * Advanced life support
 * Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS)
 * Advanced trauma life support (ATLS)
 * ABC (medicine)
 * Pneumothorax
 * Pericardial tamponade
 * Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

Environmental medicine
Environmental medicine
 * High altitude medicine
 * Travel medicine
 * Mass-gathering medicine

Branches of emergency medicine

 * Emergency medical services
 * Emergency nursing
 * Emergency psychiatry
 * International emergency medicine
 * Pediatric emergency medicine
 * Pre-hospital emergency medicine
 * Social emergency medicine

Contributory fields
Emergency medicine is multidisciplinary – due to the diversity of medical emergencies encountered, emergency medicine relies heavily upon the knowledge and procedures of many medical specialties, including:


 * Critical care medicine
 * Disaster medicine
 * Hospice care
 * Hyperbaric medicine
 * Pain management
 * Palliative care
 * Sports medicine
 * Ultrasound
 * Wilderness medicine

Emergency medical system

 * Emergency telephone number

Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services
 * Ambulance
 * Emergency medical dispatch
 * Medical Priority Dispatch System (US)
 * Computer-aided call handling (US)
 * Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System (UK)
 * Emergency medical technician
 * Paramedic

Emergency medical facilities

 * Emergency department
 * Poison control center
 * Trauma center

Emergency medical professionals

 * Emergency physician
 * Emergency nurse
 * Emergency medical technician
 * Paramedic

Tools and equipment
Emergency medical equipment
 * Bag valve mask (BVM)
 * Chest tube
 * Defibrillation (AED, ICD)
 * Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG)
 * Intraosseous infusion (IO)
 * Intravenous therapy (IV)
 * Tracheal intubation
 * Laryngeal tube
 * Combitube
 * Nasopharyngeal airway (NPA)
 * Oropharyngeal airway (OPA)
 * Pocket mask

Drugs

 * Atropine
 * Amiodarone
 * Dopamine
 * Epinephrine / Adrenaline
 * Magnesium sulfate
 * Hydralazine

History

 * History of the ambulance
 * History of emergency medical services

Journals

 * Critical Care Medicine
 * Intensive Care Medicine
 * Military Medicine
 * Shock
 * Trauma
 * Academic Emergency Medicine
 * American Journal of Emergency Medicine
 * Annals of Emergency Medicine
 * Annals of Intensive Care
 * Critical Care Clinics
 * Emergency Medicine Australasia
 * Emergency Medicine Journal
 * Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine
 * Injury Prevention
 * Journal of Critical Care
 * Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock
 * Journal of Emergency Nursing
 * Journal of Injury and Violence Research
 * Journal of Intensive Care Medicine
 * Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
 * Prehospital Emergency Care
 * The Journal of Emergency Medicine

Organizations

 * American Board of Emergency Medicine
 * American College of Emergency Physicians
 * American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine
 * Asian Society for Emergency Medicine
 * Australasian College for Emergency Medicine
 * British Association for Immediate Care
 * Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians
 * Emergency Nurses Association
 * European Resuscitation Council
 * European Society of Emergency Medicine
 * International Federation for Emergency Medicine
 * International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation
 * Resuscitation Council
 * Royal College of Emergency Medicine