Not every emergency results from an accident. Sudden illness can strike at work without warning. This lesson teaches you to recognise some of them and to call for help quickly. In all of them, the first step is to call 112.
Stroke (AVC)
A stroke (in Portuguese, acidente vascular cerebral, AVC) happens when blood stops reaching part of the brain, because of a blockage or a burst vessel. Every minute counts, because treatment only works well in the first hours.
The INEM highlights three signs:
- weakness in an arm (or a leg);
- a crooked mouth, with one side of the face drooping;
- difficulty speaking or understanding what is said.
There may also be sudden loss of vision, a severe headache, dizziness and loss of balance.
What to do:
- Call 112 straight away, even if the symptoms go away. Do not wait to see whether it gets better.
- Note the time the symptoms started, or the last time the person was well.
- Lay or sit the person in a comfortable position, and keep watch.
- Do not give food, drink or medicines, because swallowing may be difficult.
- Follow the 112 instructions; they may send the patient to the Via Verde do AVC (the urgent stroke care pathway).
Going to hospital under your own steam wastes time.
Chest pain and heart attack
Pain or tightness in the chest, which may spread to the arm, neck or jaw, with sweating, nausea and shortness of breath, may be a heart attack.
- Call 112 and keep the person at rest, seated and comfortable.
- Do not let them walk or exert themselves.
- Follow the operator's instructions about medicines. Do not give any on your own initiative.
- If the person loses consciousness and is not breathing normally, start BLS and use the AED if possible.
Seizures
In a seizure, the person loses consciousness and the body shakes uncontrollably. It usually lasts a few minutes.
- Protect the person from knocks: move objects away and put something soft under the head.
- Do not hold the body or try to stop the movements.
- Never put anything in the mouth. It is not true that the person swallows their tongue.
- Time it. Loosen clothing at the neck.
- When the movements stop, check whether they are breathing. If they are breathing normally, put them in the recovery position.
- Call 112 if it is the first seizure, if it lasts more than five minutes, if it repeats, if the person is injured, if they do not regain consciousness, or if they are pregnant or have diabetes.
Many people with epilepsy know how to manage their seizures. It helps to know what they ask for and to respect their privacy.
Severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
This is a sudden reaction that can kill. It appears, for example, after an insect sting, a food or a medicine.
- Signs: hives, swelling of the lips or tongue, difficulty breathing, wheezing, dizziness, vomiting, fainting.
- Call 112 immediately.
- If the person has an adrenaline pen that was prescribed to them, they should use it, or you should help them use it, following the instructions, on the outer side of the thigh. Sometimes a second dose is needed if the person does not improve; the 112 operator will guide you.
- Lay the person down with the legs raised. If they have difficulty breathing, keep them seated. If they are unconscious but breathing, put them in the recovery position.
- Do not leave them alone or let them get up suddenly.
- The person must always be seen at hospital, even if they improve.
Hypoglycaemia
In people with diabetes, blood sugar can drop: sweating, shaking, hunger, confusion, irritability. If the person is awake and able to swallow, you can give sugar or a sugary drink. If they are unconscious, give nothing by mouth: call 112.
Excessive heat
Heatstroke (hot, dry skin, confusion, very high temperature) is an emergency: move the person into the shade, cool them down and call 112.