Emergencies in Medicine
About this ebook
Perhaps in no other situation a physician experiences the same magnitude of agony and ecstasy as while attending an emergency. Though initially one tends to be ‘down in the dumps’ after being unsuccessful in a case or being euphoric over a successful management of a dire emergency, in due course one develops an attitude of equanimity. This attitude is essential so that our own emotions do not affect our management plans.
I have chosen two aphorisms in Medicine, ‘Primum non nocere’ and ‘Primum succurere’. While attending to a patient, if we are not able to cure him or relieve him it is excusable but we have to do our best not to harm the patient in the process and if we happen to be in the vicinity of any one in need of urgent medical attention, we shall hasten to attend to him, are the respective connotations of these aphorisms. Sometimes, we have hesitation in attending to a patient in need of medical attention when the given situation does not belong to our expertise lest we err in the management, like a physician at the site of a road traffic accident. The Supreme Court has ruled that a medical professional should not hesitate on such grounds and must try to provide whatever care he can provide in such cases. That exactly is what ‘Primum succurere’ means.
Emergencies in medicine include many sub specialities but to restrict the number of pages and the size of the Monograph, we are concentrating mainly on topics we face in our steady clinical practice as physicians.
I have attempted to present the management of the medical emergencies in different scenarios, such as situations where no assistance or special tools are available to situation where all types of assistance and tools are available as in an intensive care unit.
We have also included topics on the role of alternative medicine in emergency handling of cases.
This emergency medicine, a new branch of medicine has become so indispensable presently that the MCI (Medical Council of India) and its BOG (Board of Governors) in their notification on November 14, 2019 state as follows.
“No MBBS course nod to medical colleges in the country without emergency department (ED)”. The measures call for all medical colleges to have freely functional ED as per the MCI norms by 31th march 2022, adding that all new medical colleges seeking LOP (Letter of Permission) w.e.f. 2021—2022 MBBS batch should ensure that a freely functional ED is in existence as per the MCI norms.
Hubballi, 01/01/2020
Karnataka
Ratings and reviews
About the author
MD, MNAMS, FICP, FICA, FACP (USA), FCCP (USA)
“Gurukrupa”, Deshpande Nagar, 2nd Cross, Hubli 580 029, Karnataka, INDIA
MD, FACC (USA), FCCP (USA), FISE (INDIA), FICP (INDIA), FRSM (UK), FICN (INDIA), FICC (INDIA), FICMU (INDIA)
Byside Rajyog Society, Banner Road, Pune 411045, Maharashtra, INDIA
MD
“Vishwagiri”, New Badami Nagar, Hubli 580 023, Karnataka, INDIA
Lead Consultant Neurologist &
Stroke Specialist, Sagar Hospitals,
Bangalore
Hubli
Former Dean ICP; Past President
API; Senior Professor of Medicine
& Medical Superintendent,
JIPMER, Puducherry
New Delhi
“Dia Care - Diabetes Care &
Hormone Clinic”, 1 & 2 - Gandhi
Park, Nr. Nehru Nagar # Road,
Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - 380015,
Gujarat, India
Professor of Cardiology,
Director, Sri Jayadeva Institute
of Cardiovascular sciences &
Research, Bannerghatta Road,
9th Block Jayanagar,
Bangalore 560069, Karnataka
Dallas, USA
Chairman and Chief of
Gastroenterology, Asian Institute
of Gastroenterology, 6-3-661,
Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082,
India
Bengaluru
Mumbai
Frances K. Friedman and Oscar
Friedman, MD ‘36, Endowed
Professor for Pulmonary
Disorders, Chief, Pulmonary,
Critical Care and Sleep Medicine,
Ben Taub General Hospital,
Program Director, Critical
Care Fellowship, Department
of Medicine, Baylor College of
Medicine, Houston, USA
President, Association of
Physicians of India (2019-2020)
Kota, Rajasthan
Hubballi
Bengaluru
General Secretary - Association
of Physicians of India (API),
General Secretary - Indian College
of Physicians (ICP), General
Secretary - Physicians Research
Foundation (PRF), Consultant
Physician & Diabetologist, Karuna
Hospital, Boriwali West, Mumbai,
Shilpa Medical Research Centre,
Rainbow Apts., Avdhoot Nagar,
Dahisar (E) Mumbai 400068,
Maharashtra, India
Past President API, Past Deen ICP,
Director Intervemtion Cardiology,
Bele Vue Clinic, Kolkata
Medical Director, Arogyadhama,
VYASA
Medical Director, Arogyadhama,
VYASA
Belagavi
Manipal
Former Professor and Head of
Department, KIMS, Hubballi
Director & HOD, Dept. of
Gastroenterology & Hepatology,
Max Super-Speciality Hospital,
Shalimar Bagh, Delhi
Director & Chief Cardiologist,
JROP Institute of
Echocardiography, Ultrasound &
Vascular Doppler, Ashok Vihar 2,
Delhi; JROP Charak Heart City,
Model town Northex, Delhi
Professor & Head, Dept of
Endocrinology, Osmania Medical
College & Hospital & Consultant
Endocrinologist, Sahay’s
Endocrine & Diabetes Centre ,
Ameerpet, Hyderabad
Hubballi
Senior Consultant
Rheumatologist, Apollo
Indraprastha Hospital, New Delhi
National President Elect – API,
Acute Medicine Physician,
Sundarm Arulrhaj Hospitals,
Dr.S.Arulrhaj Health, Education
& Research Foundation, 145/5B,
Jeyaraj Road, Tuticorin - 628 002,
Tamil Nadu, India
Editor-in-Chief, API Textbook
of Medicine, Edition 11; Former
Dean and Professor of Medicine,
Seth GS Medical College and
KEM Hospital & LTMMG College
and Sion Hospital, Mumbai,
Maharashtra, India
S B Medical Centre, Plot No.14,
Lahoti Enclave, Station Road,
Gulbarga 585103Karnataka-India
Physician and Diabetologist Sattur
Medical Care, Hubli, Karnataka
Retired Professor & Head, Dept.
of Medicine, Medical College,
Senior Consultant Visiting
Physician, Kolkata
Chairman Batra Heart Centre and
Dean Academics and Research,
South Delhi, Delhi, India
Chairman & Chief Diabetologist,
Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities
Centre, No. 6, Conran Smith
Road, Gopalapuram, Chennai,
Tamil Nadu, India
Pune
Partner, Arrhythmia Associates,
01, Parag Niketan, Green Avenue,
Juhu circle, N S Rd Number 10,
JVPD Scheme, Andheri West,
Mumbai, Maharashtra 400049
Sr. Consultant Endocrinologist,
Artemis Hospital and St. Stephen’s
Hospital, Gurugram, Haryana,
India
