When Should You Go To The Emergency Room?

Dr. Troy Madsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He practices at the University Hospital Emergency Department, where he specializes in the treatment of emergent conditions. Dr. Madsen talks about a good way to decide when you should go to the emergency room.

Dr. Madsen uses the ABCD method: 

A:  Airway

B:  Breathing

C:  Circulation

D:  Disability

If you suffer from A, B, C, or D you should go to the emergency room:

A – is for airway, your airway is blocked. You’re just not getting air in.

B – is for breathing. “I’m feeling short of breath. I just can’t get a deep breath. I feel like my oxygen levels are low.” 

C – is for circulation. So that would be your blood pressure. “My blood pressure is low, or maybe it’s just really, really high and I’m having other symptoms with that. Or I feel like I’m having a heart attack, something that’s affecting my body’s circulation. Or certainly, if you’re bleeding, you know, that’s going to be losing blood and affect your circulation.” 

D – is for disability. “That would be like a stroke, i.e. I’m disabled. You know, suddenly I can’t use my left hand or my face is drooping. So those are absolutely reasons to go to the ER.”

But if you don’t have those things, there are lots of other resources you can use. Telemedicine is a great resource right now to call in and talk to someone on the phone, talk to a physician or a health care provider. Your doctor might recommend going to Urgent Care instead of the ER or waiting to see if the symptoms get better or worsen.  There are telehealth services available 24/7. 

However, if you definitely feel that you have an emergency, don’t hesitate to go to the emergency room.  Dr. Madsen simply suggests using all available resources.