Prepared for Emergencies

Common Emergencies

1. Fainting

2. Acute chest pain

3. Cardiorespiratory arrest

4. Anaphylactic shock

5. Collapse in a patient with a history of corticosteroid use

6. Fits

7. Hypoglycemia

8. Acute Asthma

9. Inhaled foreign bodies

 

Essential Drugs:

¨ Adrenaline 1 in 1000 solution (1mg adrenaline in 1ml saline)

¨ Hydrocortisone (as sodium succinate or sodium phosphate) 100mg and water for injection

¨ Benzodiazepine, diazepam in lipid emulsion, or Midazolam (10mg ampoules)

¨ Glucose, as dextrose 20% or 50% solution and an oral glucose solution

¨ Chlorpheniramine 20mg injection

¨ Flumazenil 100 microgram/ml 5ml ampoule

¨ Clinistix/ BM sticks

¨ Glyceryl trinitrate spray

¨ Salbutamal inhaler

¨ Glucagon 1mg IM injection

¨ Atropine 3mg single shot injection

¨ IV fluids

Every hospital department is required to have the appropriate equipment for delivering oxygen, nitrous oxide/ oxygen mixtures, an automatic defibrillator and essential emergency drugs.