1 / 29

Medical Emergencies

Medical Emergencies. Chapter 16. The Dental Assistants Role. Be observant of your patient! Do they have trouble walking, moving or talking? Do their eyes respond to light? Is their speech slurred? Are they anxious about their treatment?

doyle
Download Presentation

Medical Emergencies

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Medical Emergencies Chapter 16

  2. The Dental Assistants Role • Be observant of your patient! • Do they have trouble walking, moving or talking? • Do their eyes respond to light? • Is their speech slurred? • Are they anxious about their treatment? All dental personnel should be well-trained for an emergency and CPR certified

  3. Dental Emergency Kit • Each office should have an up-to-date emergency kit that includes: • Sterile syringes, tourniquets, barrier devices for CPR and other oral airway devices • Oxygen equipment (green tank) • Stimulants—ammonia inhalants • Vasodilators such as translingual nitroglycerin, which increases oxygenated blood supply to the heart

  4. Dental Emergency Kit • Antihistamines such as epinephrine, adrenaline, benadryl. An epi-pen can be used for quick and easy delivery. • Analgesics—pain relievers • Depressants—such as diazepam, used for seizure treatment. • PPE—personal protective equipment.

  5. Dental Emergency Kit

  6. Syncope • AKA fainting, The most common emergency in a dental office • Caused by physical or emotional stress and decreased blood flow to the brain. • Symptoms may include: dizziness, nausea, weakness, pale skin, clammy, shallow breathing

  7. Treatment for Syncope • If conscious, have the patient sit with their head between their knees • If unconscious, place in the Trendelenburg position (supine with feet slightly elevated) • Administer oxygen and vital signs. Most patients will resume spontaneous breathing within 10 seconds. • If they don’t, crack open the vial of ammonia and wave under their nose (not too close or it can irritate the nasal membranes.

  8. Postural Hypotension • Low blood pressure that occurs upon standing up • May occur after long appointments when the patient has been supine for an extended length of time • Raise the patient chair slowly and have them remain seated for 1 minute prior to dismissal

  9. Asthma • Narrowing of the bronchioles in the lungs • Recurrent attacks of breathlessness accompanied by wheezing during exhalation. May have a dry cough. • When an asthma patient exhales, the lungs collapse to expel air, which narrows the bronchioles even more • 1 in 10 US children have asthma and it is on the rise.

  10. Asthma, cont • Causes: • Heredity • Allergies • Most often occurs in the morning Treatment: antihistamines administered via an inhaler

  11. Allergic Reactions • An acute reaction which may be in a general area or cover the entire body • Causes in the dental office may include drugs, latex or dental materials • Symptoms include edema (swelling), erythema (redness) or urticaria (hives) • Treatment includes removing the irritant or administering an antihistamine

  12. Anaphylactic Reaction • A severe allergic reaction that is life threatening. • Symptoms include decrease in blood pressure, constriction of airway, swelling of tongue and throat, stomach pain • Treatment is by epinephrine injection • Call 911 if symptoms do not improve quickly

  13. Hyperventilation • Abnormally fast or deep breathing which results in the loss of carbon dioxide from the blood (caused by patient panic!) • Symptoms include low blood pressure, numbness or tingling in the extremities, possible fainting • Treatment includes stopping dental treatment, set patient upright, have them breathe in and hold for several seconds before exhaling or have them breathe into their cupped hands or a paper bag

  14. Epilepsy/Seizures • Neurological disorder characterized by sudden, recurring attacks of motor, sensory or psychic malfunction with or without loss of consciousness • Two main types: • Petit Mal • Grand Mal

  15. Petit Mal • Patient experiences a momentary loss of consciousness. May have a blank stare or blinking of the eye that lasts 5-10 seconds • Others may not be aware of it, as the person looks like they’re daydreaming • Occurs more frequently in children and decreases with age • May be a warning of a grand mal to follow

  16. Grand Mal • Most common • Usually lasts from 2-5 minutes • The body jerks, twitches and stiffens • Breathing is irregular and person may be unconscious • Bladder and bowel control may be lost • After seizing, the patient may be disoriented and not be aware of what happened

  17. Grand Mal, cont. • Stop dental treatment and remove anything from the mouth (if possible) • Clear all harmful objects out of the way • Allow seizure to run its course • After seizure, place the patient in the recovery position (right side) • If seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, call 911

  18. Grand Mal, cont. • Status Epilepticus: when a patient has one seizure after another, call 911 • Dilantin: a common medication used to treat seizures. May cause gingival hyperplasia (overgrowth of gingival tissue)

  19. Diabetes • High blood sugar caused by the pancreas not producing enough insulin • Too much sugar in the blood • Symptoms include: thirst, excessive urination, weight loss, fatigue • There are two types of diabetes: Type I and Type II

  20. Diabetes, cont. • Type I: • Most severe • Often called juvenile diabetes, but it can occur in all ages. May be caused by heredity. • Patient must have regular insulin injections or coma will result • Type I diabetics experience the most medical complications because they have the disease for long periods of time. • They are susceptible to infections, slow healing, toothaches, gingivitis, periodontitis and xerostomia (dry mouth)

  21. Diabetes, cont. • Type II: • Makes up 90% of diabetics • Can be controlled by diet and meds that lower blood sugar levels. Does not require insulin injections • It can result in hyperglycemia (too much sugar in the blood). Patient may experience excessive thirst, increased urination, nausea and vomiting with abdominal pain, etc. • Patient may go into a diabetic coma

  22. Diabetes, cont. • Type II, cont: • Stop dental treatment • If patient is conscious, have them administer an insulin shot (many carry insulin pens) • If unconscious, call 911 • Diabetic acidosis: if the patient goes into a coma and is not treated quickly, they will die.

  23. Hypoglycemia • Too little sugar in the blood • Rapid onset. Usually caused by skipping meals, stress or overexertion • Patient will become nervous, have trembling and weakness, cold sweats • May become hungry and show personality change • Stop dental treatment and give sugar (orange juice works well) • If unconscious, call 911

  24. Cardiovascular Disease • AKA heart disease, a leading cause of death in the US • Avoid epinephrine in anesthetic and gingival retraction cord • The patient may need prophylactic antibiotics prior to treatment, which lowers the risk of bacterial endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart)

  25. Cardio, cont. • Causes of heart disease: • Arteriosclerosis: hardening of the arteries • Angina pectoris: “strangling of the chest”, • First sign of heart disease. • Causes pain in the chest, may radiate to the jaw. • high blood pressure and pulse rate. • May become pale and clammy. • Stop treatment and place nitroglycerin pills sublingually. Administer oxygen. Patient can be given 3 doses. If no response, assume the patient is having a myocardial infarction.

  26. Cardio, cont. • Myocardial infarction • AKA heart attack • Coronary arteries are blocked or narrowed • Symptoms are similar to angina • Stop dental treatment, position patient with head slightly elevated. • Administer oxygen and nitroglycerin. • Call 911

  27. Cerebrovascular Accident • Aka Stroke, a leading cause of disability and death in the US • Caused by the blood supply to the brain being interrupted by a blockage: • Embolism: blood clot • Hemorrhage: rupture of a blood vessel Patient may experience extreme headache, loss of speech, dizziness, paralysis on one side of the body, loss of consciousness

  28. Miscellaneous • Dentists are required by law to report suspected child abuse • If a patient has a pacemaker, do not use the ultrasonic scaler or microwave • Remember the tips for blind, hearing impaired and disabled patients.

More Related