CAQ-EM key terms

The process of rapidly sorting patients by urgency so that those with immediately life-threatening conditions receive care first. It uses vital signs, chief complaint, and danger-zone findings rather than a final diagnosis.

A structured first-pass assessment of airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure performed on every emergency patient. Life-threatening problems found at each step are treated before moving to the next step.

Partial or complete blockage of airflow between the mouth and the lungs, caused by tongue displacement, secretions, vomit, foreign bodies, or swelling. It is treated with positioning, suction, airway adjuncts, or a definitive airway.

Manual delivery of oxygen into the lungs using a self-inflating bag, a one-way valve, and a tight-fitting mask. Two-person technique with an oral airway improves seal and reduces gastric insufflation when a definitive airway is not yet available.

The near-simultaneous administration of a sedative and a neuromuscular blocker to facilitate tracheal intubation in a patient at risk of aspiration. It includes preoxygenation, cricoid pressure where used, and immediate confirmation of tube position.

A fall in blood pressure after tracheal intubation and positive-pressure ventilation. Causes include sedative-induced vasodilation, loss of sympathetic tone, hypovolemia, and reduced venous return from increased intrathoracic pressure.

A five-level triage scale that assigns acuity from the need for immediate life-saving intervention and the expected number of resources required. Level 1 is resuscitation, and level 5 is a single-resource visit.

Abnormal vital signs or clinical features that mark a patient as high acuity regardless of appearance. Examples include hypotension, tachypnea, altered mentation, and low oxygen saturation.

A rapid bedside ultrasound examination of the pericardial sac and dependent abdominal and thoracic spaces for free fluid in injured patients. It guides immediate decisions about surgery or further imaging but does not rule out injury.

Circulatory failure caused by loss of blood volume, producing inadequate tissue perfusion. Signs include tachycardia, hypotension, cool skin, and altered mentation; treatment is hemorrhage control plus balanced blood product resuscitation.

A preplanned system for rapidly delivering balanced blood components to a patient with major hemorrhage. It typically includes red cells, plasma, and platelets in defined ratios, plus calcium replacement and frequent laboratory monitoring.

Sepsis with persistent hypotension requiring vasopressors to maintain mean arterial pressure and with elevated lactate despite adequate fluid resuscitation. Immediate antibiotics, fluids, and source control are essential.

A bedside screening score for sepsis using respiratory rate of 22 or more, altered mentation, and systolic blood pressure of 100 mmHg or less. Two or more criteria identify patients at higher risk of poor outcome.

A spectrum of myocardial ischemia including unstable angina, non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Diagnosis combines symptoms, serial troponin, and electrocardiography, with reperfusion for ST elevation.

Acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation on electrocardiography in a coronary territory. It requires urgent reperfusion by primary percutaneous coronary intervention or fibrinolysis when timely intervention is unavailable.

A cardiac muscle protein released into blood when myocardial cells are injured. High-sensitivity assays detect small elevations, so interpretation requires serial sampling and correlation with symptoms and electrocardiographic findings.

Sudden neurological deficit caused by arterial occlusion in the brain. Time-critical treatment includes thrombolysis within a defined window for eligible patients and mechanical thrombectomy for large-vessel occlusion.

A standardized 15-item examination that quantifies stroke severity by scoring consciousness, gaze, visual fields, motor function, sensation, language, and neglect. Scores guide treatment decisions and communication about neurological change.

A recombinant tissue plasminogen activator used in selected acute ischemic stroke and ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients. It converts plasminogen to plasmin, dissolving clot, but carries a risk of intracranial and systemic bleeding.

A severe, rapidly developing systemic hypersensitivity reaction involving airway, breathing, or circulation. Intramuscular epinephrine is the first-line treatment, followed by airway support, fluids, and observation for biphasic reactions.

A catecholamine that stimulates alpha and beta adrenergic receptors, raising blood pressure, heart rate, and bronchial dilation. In emergencies it is used for anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, and severe shock at carefully selected doses.

Continuous seizure activity or repeated seizures without full recovery lasting five minutes or more. It is treated in sequence with benzodiazepines, then second-line antiseizure drugs, while airway and glucose are addressed.

A metabolic emergency of insulin deficiency with hyperglycemia, ketonemia, and high-anion-gap metabolic acidosis. Management includes isotonic fluids, intravenous insulin, potassium replacement, and treatment of the precipitating cause.

Elevated serum potassium that can cause muscle weakness and dangerous cardiac dysrhythmias. Emergency treatment stabilizes cardiac membranes with calcium, shifts potassium intracellularly, and removes potassium from the body.

An abrupt decline in renal function marked by rising creatinine or falling urine output. Emergency care focuses on volume status, identifying obstruction, stopping nephrotoxins, and correcting dangerous electrolyte or acid-base disturbances.

Worsening of heart failure symptoms with congestion or low output requiring urgent treatment. Management includes oxygen when hypoxemic, diuretics for congestion, vasodilators in hypertensive patients, and noninvasive ventilation for pulmonary edema.

Ventilatory support delivered through a tight-fitting mask in spontaneously breathing patients. It is used for acute hypercapnic respiratory failure and cardiogenic pulmonary edema but is avoided in altered or unstable patients.

Acute worsening of dyspnea, cough, or sputum in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Treatment includes bronchodilators, systemic corticosteroids, antibiotics when indicated, oxygen titrated to target saturation, and ventilatory support if needed.

An acute episode of bronchospasm and airway inflammation with wheeze, cough, and dyspnea. Treatment uses repeated inhaled short-acting beta agonists, ipratropium, systemic corticosteroids, and oxygen, with magnesium or epinephrine in severe cases.

Air trapped in the pleural space under pressure that collapses the lung and impairs venous return. It causes severe dyspnea, hypotension, and absent breath sounds, and requires immediate needle decompression followed by tube thoracostomy.

Occlusion of pulmonary arteries by thrombus, usually from deep veins of the legs. It may cause sudden dyspnea, pleuritic pain, hypoxemia, and right heart strain; risk stratification guides anticoagulation and advanced therapy.

Tearing of the aortic wall in an aneurysm, causing massive retroperitoneal or intraperitoneal bleeding. It presents with sudden severe abdominal or back pain, hypotension, and a pulsatile mass, and needs urgent surgical or endovascular repair.

Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Recognition relies on signs of infection plus organ dysfunction, with early antibiotics, fluids, and source control improving outcomes.

A 3-to-15 score assessing eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. It standardizes communication about level of consciousness and helps identify patients needing airway protection or urgent neuroimaging.

A head-to-toe examination performed after the primary survey and resuscitation in an injured patient. It looks for less immediately lethal injuries, including extremity deformity, pelvic instability, and neurological deficits.

Increased pressure within a closed fascial space that compromises tissue perfusion. It causes pain out of proportion, pain with passive stretch, and tense swelling, and requires urgent fasciotomy to prevent muscle and nerve death.

Tissue hypoxia from carbon monoxide binding hemoglobin with high affinity and shifting the oxygen dissociation curve. Symptoms include headache, nausea, confusion, and syncope; treatment is high-flow oxygen, with hyperbaric oxygen for severe cases.