Summary

In this study session you have learned that:

1. Non-injury emergencies, such as appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, poisoning or choking, are potentially life-threatening conditions that require urgent attention and life-supportive care.
2. The effects of non-injury emergencies are more severe in young children and old people. This is due to delayed recognition of their condition because their symptoms may not be typical, and the body's more limited ability to reduce the effects of these conditions in extreme age groups.
3. Appendicitis means inflammation and infection of the appendix. The signs and symptoms are similar to intestinal obstruction: i.e. abdominal pain, tenderness and guarding of the internal organs by rigid abdominal muscles, fever, nausea, and vomiting. In advanced cases, septic shock may occur.
4. Poison can enter the body through the mouth, lungs or skin, or it may be injected; poisoning may be accidental or intentionally self-inflicted (suicide) and the poison (toxin) may be naturally occurring, a manufactured chemical or an overdose of medicine.
5. Common symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, difficulty in breathing, headaches, fast, slow or irregular heart rate, watering of the eyes, confusion, and impaired consciousness. If poison was absorbed through the skin, there may be swelling, rashes, redness and itching.
6. First aid for a person who is choking is to encourage coughing, back slapping and applying repeated abdominal thrusts. If the person becomes unconscious, attempt to remove the obstruction if you can see it in their throat and begin rescue breathing.
7. Basic life support techniques can be used for both injury and non-injury emergency life-threatening conditions.
8. A simple way to remember the priorities of basic life-supportive care is to use the ABCDE-T approach, addressing in this order: their Airways, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure (to check for anything you may have missed), and Transfer to a higher health facility.