List of medical emergencies - Definition

The following is a list of symptoms and conditions that signal or constitute medical emergencies and require immediate first aid if available. Note that this list is not exhaustive in any way.

• Injury and illness
  • Appendicitis (leading to peritonitis)
  • Drug overdose
  • Electric shock
  • Eye or ear injury
  • Hyperthermia (heat stroke or sunstroke)
  • Hypothermia or frostbite
  • Head trauma
  • Chest pain or sudden severe abdominal pain
  • Pancreatitis
  • Poisoning
    • Food poisoning
    • Venomous animal bite
  • Septic arthritis
  • Severe burn (including scalding)
  • Spinal injury
• Cardiac and circulatory
  • Air embolism
  • Aortic aneurysm
  • Aortic dissection
  • Bleeding
    • Hemorrhage
    • Hypovolemia
    • Internal bleeding
  • Cardiac arrest
  • Cardiac arrhythmia
  • Cardiac tamponade
  • Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • Subdural hematoma, acute
  • Ventricular fibrillation
• Metabolic
  • Diabetic coma
    • Diabetic ketoacidosis
    • Hypoglycemic coma
  • Electrolyte disturbance, severe
  • Malnutrition and starvation (as in extreme anorexia, and bulimia, as well as other causes)
• Neurological
  • Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
  • Cluster Headache
  • Convulsion or seizure
  • Syncope (fainting)
• Psychological
  • Severe suicidal ideation
• Respiratory
  • Asphyxia
    • Angioedema
    • Choking
    • Drowning
    • Smoke inhalation
  • Epiglottitis or croup
  • Pneumothorax
  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Respiratory failure
• Shock
  • Allergic shock
  • Anaphylaxis
  • Septic shock
  • Withdrawal
• Urological, andrological, gynecologic, and obstetric
  • Acute renal failure
  • Eclampsia
    • HELLP syndrome
    • Pre-eclampsia
  • Ectopic pregnancy
  • Gynecologic hemorrhage
  • Paraphimosis
  • Priapism
  • Sexual assault (rape)
  • Testicular torsion
  • Urinary retention