Emergencies and accidents are common place in all spheres of our everyday life.
In the ED, we the physicians have a challenging task in our hands. This High-risk Specialty deals with the knowledge to approach a patient with an un-differentiated condition, ask the right questions, gather historical data, utilize physical examination skills, order and interpret appropriate lab and radiographic tests and in the end, perform timely and efficient maneuvers while administering the optimum treatment to improve outcome and avoid pitfalls while being wary of the disasters waiting to happen!
In our Emergency Department we practice the evaluation and treatment of all life threatening conditions that presents in any Tertiary Health Care Facility in this country. To understand the Vital Body Functions of the patient, to decide on 'What to Do' and 'What Not To Do' and be prepared to deal with emergent conditions - because we know that even the most mundane of our patients could be at the brink of a catastrophic outcome!
Cardiac Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of vital signs like Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Oxygen saturation, Respiratory Rate.
Defibrillation and External (Transcutaneous) Pacing: To monitor and assess the electrical rhythm of the beating heart and deliver Electric Shock/stimulate the heart beat to counteract abnormal beating patterns in conjunction to External Cardiac Massage and
Advanced Cardiac Medicine Administration.
Transvenous pacing: During cardiac arrest (Asystole) if External Pacing fails we can immediately cannulate the big veins to reach the heart and put in pacing wires to stimulate the heart and make it beat again.
Arterial Blood Gas Analysis: To check the Acid-Base balance in the body fluid and adjudge the oxygen and carbon-dioxide pressures in the blood.
Electrocardiogram: To find out if you are truly suffering from a heart problem.
Emergency Ultrasound: We at The Mission Hospital have ED physicians who are trained to perform bedside sonology to assess whether the internal organs of the trauma victim have suffered an injury and would need an urgent operation to stop the internal bleeding.
24 hours X-rays and CT scan of whole body
Intercostals drain Insertion for the Tension Pneumothorax and Hemothorax : If the patient has fractured ribs that have pierced his lungs life threatening collection of Air +/- Blood in the chest cavity would need immediate decompression and this is done by the ED physician.
Procedures for the Invasive Monitoring like Central Venous Cannulation, Arterial Cannulation, and Hemodialysis catheter insertion: These procedures give us critical access to patient's internal hemodynamic system to measure pressures, give medicines and perform life saving procedures like Dialysis in the Renal Failure patients.
Non Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation and Oro/Naso-Tracheal Intubation and Mechanical Ventilation: If the patient cannot breathe properly or cannot breathe at all, the onus to perform the sinking person by supplying oxygen into the lungs lies with the attending caregiver.
