How to Manage Medical Emergencies at Home

By Dr. Sandeep Jain in Emergency & Trauma

Jul 27 , 2023 | 1 min read

Medical emergencies can occur anywhere and at any time. Timely medical aid can make a difference in patient outcomes. At times, it may not be possible to get trained medical help, but knowledge about first aid can definitely help bridge this time gap.

Following are tips to manage some common medical emergencies at home:

Unconscious person: Whenever you witness an unconscious person, always call for help or an ambulance before providing first aid. Check their breathing—look at the chest rise with every breath. If they are breathing, turn them to a sideways position and await medical help. If they are not breathing, check their carotid pulse on the neck. If that too is absent, start.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): To provide CPR, place the patient in the flat position, interlock your hands and place the heel of your palm on the centre of the victim’s breast bone. Start compressing hard and fast for 2 minutes before checking the response of the victim. Never give anything to drink to an unconscious victim.
Bleeding wounds: Whenever a bleeding wound is encountered, wash under tap water if possible, and then apply any clean cloth or bandage over the wound tightly. If bleeding does not stop, elevate the part and seek medical help.
Sprains and fractures: Any part of the limb with swelling, pain and difficulty in moving is suspected of sprains/fractures. Make the patient rest, apply ice packs and immobilize with any hard material like wood, cardboard or a pack of newspapers and seek medical help.
Heart attack: Any person complaining of central chest pain moving to the left or right arm, the jaw or shoulder, associated with sweating, weakness or vomiting, is suspected of having a heart attack. Most important is to calmly make the patient sit down, provide an Aspirin tablet (if not allergic) and shift the patient to the nearest hospital with cardiac facilities immediately.
Stroke: Any patient reporting sudden onset weakness of any part of the body, slurring of speech, deviation of mouth and imbalance while walking may have suffered a stroke. Shift them to the nearest stroke-ready hospital immediately.
Seizures/fits: Most fits settle by themselves within a minute or two. While the patient is having seizures, support them to a comfortable position, loosen their clothes and remove anything from their surroundings which may injure them. After the fits have subsided, seek immediate medical help.