The following is a list of symptoms and conditions that signal or constitute medical emergencies and require immediate first aid if available. Note that this list is not exhaustive in any way.

Injury and illness

• Appendicitis (leading to peritonitis)
• Compound fracture
• Drug overdose
• Electric shock
• Eye or ear injury (may not likely itself be life-threatening, but immediate action may still be essential to save sight or hearing)
• Gangrene
• Hyperthermia (heat stroke or sunstroke)
  • Malignant hyperthermia
• Hypothermia or frostbite
• Head trauma
• Chest pain or sudden severe abdominal pain
• Pancreatitis
• Peritonitis
• Poisoning
  • Food poisoning
  • Venomous animal bite
• Septic arthritis
• Septicaemia blood infection
• Severe burn (including scalding and chemical burns)
• Spreading wound infection
• Suspected Spinal injury

Cardiac and circulatory

• Air embolism
• Aortic aneurysm (ruptured)
• Aortic dissection
• Bleeding
  • Hemorrhage
  • Hypovolemia
  • Internal bleeding
• Cardiac arrest
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Cardiac tamponade
• Hypertensive emergency
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Subdural hematoma, acute
• Ventricular fibrillation

Metabolic

• Addisonian crisis of sudden decrease in endogenous steroids
• Advanced dehydration
• Diabetic coma
  • Diabetic ketoacidosis
  • Hypoglycemic coma
• Lactic acidosis
• Thyroid storm
• Acute renal failure
• Electrolyte disturbance, severe (along with dehydration, possible with severe diarrhea or vomiting, chronic laxative abuse, and severe burns)
• Malnutrition and starvation (as in extreme anorexia, and bulimia, as well as other causes)
• Hepatic encephalopathy

Neurological

• Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
• Cluster headache
• Convulsion or seizure
• Syncope (fainting)
• Meningitis

Psychiatric

• Severe suicidal ideation

Respiratory

• Agonal breathing
• Acute asthma
• Asphyxia
  • Angioedema
  • Choking
  • Drowning
  • Smoke inhalation
• Epiglottitis or severe croup
• Pneumothorax
• Pulmonary embolism
• Respiratory failure

Shock

• Cardiogenic shock
• Hypovolemic shock or hemorrhagic shock
• Anaphylaxis
• Septic shock
• Neurogenic shock
• Obstructive shock, e.g. massive pulmonary embolism
• Withdrawal

Urological, andrological, gynecologic, and obstetric

• Eclampsia
  • Pre-eclampsia
  • HELLP syndrome
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Gynecologic hemorrhage
• Obstetrical hemorrhage
• Paraphimosis
• Priapism
• Sexual assault (rape)
• Testicular torsion
• Urinary retention

Emergency medicine | Medical emergencies