An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health or life. Some emergencies are not immediately threatening to life, but might have serious implications for the continued health and well-being of a person or persons. These emergencies require assistance from another person while some of these emergencies can be dealt with by the victim themselves. Any response to an emergency medical situation depends on the situation, the patient involved and availability of resources to help them.

Some of the common emergencies include

• Heart Attack
• Foreign Bodies
• Choking
• Seizures
• Stroke

Heart attack, also called myocardial infarction, is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply caused due to blockage in one or more of the coronary arteries supplying the heart.

Foreign bodies in the ear, nose and throat are a common clinical problem. Adults or children may introduce organic or non-organic foreign objects into their ear, nose, throat, bronchus or esophagus. Foreign bodies refer to any object introduced in the ear, nose, or mouth that is not meant to be there and could cause harm.

Choking is a blockage of the upper airway by food or other objects, which prevents a person from breathing effectively. Choking can cause a simple coughing fit, but complete blockage of the airway may lead to death.

A seizure is the physical findings or changes in behavior that occur after abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures as a medical condition are normally defined as brain sending wrong messages to the rest of the body. This causes or leads to uncontrollable actions.

A stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is disrupted, causing brain cells to die. Blood flow can be compromised by a variety of mechanisms. It can be due to ischemia (lack of blood flow) caused by blockage, or a hemorrhage.