Acute Medical Emergencies [PDF ebook] 
The Practical Approach

Working Group vii
Contributors to first edition viii
Contributors to second edition ix
Preface to second edition x
Preface to first edition xi
Acknowledgments xii
Part I: Introduction
Chapter 1 Introduction 3
Chapter 2 Recognition of the medical emergency 7
Part II: Structured Approach
Chapter 3 A structured approach to medical emergencies 15
Chapter 4 Airway assessment 33
Chapter 5 Breathing assessment 43
Chapter 6 Circulation assessment 55
Chapter 7 Disability assessment 67
Part III: Presenting Complaints
Chapter 8 The patient with breathing difficulties 87
Chapter 9 The patient with shock 121
Chapter 10 The patient with chest pain 147
Chapter 11 The patient with altered conscious level 159
Chapter 12 The ‘collapsed’ patient 187
Chapter 13 The overdose patient 203
Chapter 14 The patient with a headache 215
Chapter 15 The patient with abdominal pain 233
Chapter 16 The patient with hot red legs or cold white legs 261
Chapter 17 The patient with hot and/or swollen joints 269
Chapter 18 The patient with a rash 281
Chapter 19 The patient with acute confusion 293
Part IV: Organ Failure
Chapter 20 Organ failure 309
Part V: Special Circumstances
Chapter 21 The elderly patient 345
Chapter 22 Transportation of the seriously ill patient 355
Chapter 23 The pregnant patient 369
Chapter 24 The immunocompromised patient 377
Chapter 25 The patient with acute spinal cord compression 381
Part VI: Interpretation of Emergency Investigations
Chapter 26 Acid-base balance and blood gas analysis 387
Chapter 27 Dysrhythmia recognition 409
Chapter 28 Chest X-ray interpretation 431
Chapter 29 Haematological investigations 437
Chapter 30 Biochemical investigations 449
Part VII: Practical Procedures
Chapter 31 Practical procedures: airway and breathing 457
Chapter 32 Practical procedures: circulation 469
Chapter 33 Practical procedures: medical 477
Part VIII: Appendix
Appendix: Drugs commonly used in the management of medical emergencies 487
Answers to time out questions 493
Index 505

The Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG), Manchester UK, began life in 1990 and became a registered medical education charity in 1993. The organisation exists to ‘preserve life by providing training and education to the general public and in particular but not exclusively to doctors, nurses and other members of the medical profession, in life saving techniques’.
The book is written and edited by Emergency Medicine specialists who are Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG) trainers.