Emergency Care

Professor Emergency Medicine, Academic Department of Military Emergency Medicine, Institute of Research and Development, Birmingham, UK

SECTION 1 SETTING THE SCENE. Scene approach and assessment. Approach to the patient. SECTION 2 RESUSCITATION SKILLS. Basic life support. Simple management of the airway and ventilation. Advanced management of the airway and ventilation. Intravenous access. SECTION 3 MEDICINE. Taking a medical history. Introduction to pharmacology. Respiratory emergencies. The heart: anatomy, physiology and the ECG. Monitoring and defibrillation. Cardiac arrest in adults: advanced life support. Cardiovascular emergencies. The unconscious patient. The acute abdomen. Poisoning. The risk of infection. SECTION 4 TRAUMA. Obtaining a trauma history. The primary and secondary survey. Shock. Head injuries. Facial injuries. Chest injuries. Abdominal and genitourinary trauma. Bone and joint injuries. Spinal injuries. Patient immobilization and extrication. Blast and gunshot injuries. Burns. Wound management. Overview of trauma resuscitation. SECTION 5 PAEDIATRICS. Obtaining a paediatric history. Assessment of the ill or injured child. The sick child. Paediatric cardiac arrest. The injured child. SECTION 6 CARE OF THE ELDERLY. The elderly patient. SECTION 7 THE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT. Hypothermia. Near-drowning. Heat illness. Electrocution. Chemical incidents. Nuclear incidents. The sports arena. SECTION 8. RESCUE. Rescue from remote places. Aeromedical evacuation. SECTION 9 PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH. Childbirth. Emergencies in pregnancy. Trauma in pregnancy. Neonatal resuscitation and transport. SECTION 10. PSYCHIATRY. Substance abuse. The uncooperative or violent patient. Psychiatric emergencies. Coping with stress. SECTION 11 MAJOR INCIDENTS. The major incident: an overview. Triage. The ambulance service at mass gatherings.>br>SECTION 12 ADMINISTRATION, ETHICS AND THE LAW. Record-keeping in pre-hospital care. Communication and dispatch. Ethical and legal issues.