About 20 percent of trips to the ER are unneccessary. To recognize a true emergency (and avoid needless expense), remember this acronym: ABCDE.
Head to the ER STAT (or dial 911) if you have any of these...
|
A Airway |
B Breathing |
C Circulation |
D Disability or dehydration |
E Exposure to an environmental hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choking (also do the Heimlich maneuver or CPR if needed) | Rapid or slowed intake of air, wheezing, skin has a blue tinge | Loss of consciousness, bleeding, agitation, lifelessness | Injury or inability to walk or talk, inability to keep down food or liquids | Various (causes can include heat exhaustion, hypothermia or poisoning) |
* GET HELP FAST. Urgent-care centers treat non-threatening conditions and often have shorter wait times than ERs. Locate one at findurgentcare.com.
Sources: Neal Shipley, MD, co-founder of Urgent Care Manhattan in New York City; and Leigh Vinocur, MD, spokeswoman for the American College of Emergency Physicians
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