English for paramedics, emergency staff and first aiders
Emergency Medicine & First Aid Vocabulary: 100 Key English Terms
Emergency English has to work in seconds: on a 112 or 911 call, at the roadside, in the back of an ambulance and in a crowded emergency department. This glossary collects the words paramedics, emergency staff and first aiders use every day, from the ABC assessment and CPR to bleeding, burns, fractures, triage and handover. Each entry explains what the word means, how professionals really use it and how it is said in Turkish.
100 terms
10 topics
45 core terms
200 example sentences
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No account needed. Read the meaning, see where the term is used, then study the examples. Click any word in the lesson for help. You can also select a word and press Alt + Enter.
Emergency Assessment (ABC)
first aid
noun
Meaning
The help given straight away to someone who is injured or suddenly ill, before a doctor, nurse or ambulance crew arrives and takes over.
Where you use it
Used for the help itself, the training and the equipment. People give first aid, take a first aid course and keep a first aid kit at work. Employers, schools and sports clubs often need staff with a valid first aid certificate.
Examples
Two of our warehouse staff are trained in first aid, so call them first if someone gets hurt.
A passer-by gave first aid until the ambulance arrived.
Usage note
'First aid' is a noun, not a verb: say 'give someone first aid', not 'first aid someone'. A person trained in it is a first aider.
Common phrases
give first aid · first aid kit · first aid course · first aid certificate · basic first aid
Short for airway, breathing, circulation: the order in which a rescuer checks for the most urgent problems in a sick or injured person.
Where you use it
Taught on almost every first aid and emergency course. Clinicians often extend it to ABCDE, adding disability (brain function) and exposure (looking at the whole body). Some guidelines put circulation first in cardiac arrest (CAB), and trauma teams may start with catastrophic bleeding (<C>ABC).
Examples
Go through your ABC before you worry about his broken wrist.
On the ABC check, his airway was clear but he was breathing fast.
Common phrases
ABC approach · ABCDE assessment · go through the ABC · ABC check
The passage that air travels through from the nose and mouth to the lungs; in emergencies, the question is whether it is open or blocked.
Where you use it
The 'A' in ABC. An airway can be clear, open, partly or fully blocked, or 'compromised'. You open, protect or manage an airway. In hospitals 'airway' also means a device that helps keep it open, such as an oral airway.
Examples
Her airway is clear, she's talking to me in full sentences.
Vomit was blocking his airway, so we turned him onto his side.
Common phrases
open the airway · clear airway · blocked airway · airway obstruction · manage the airway
Not awake and not aware of what is happening, so that the person cannot respond normally to voices or touch.
Where you use it
Used by everyone from callers to doctors. A person is found unconscious, knocked unconscious or becomes unconscious. Clinicians usually prefer more precise words such as 'unresponsive', or a GCS score, because 'unconscious' covers many different levels.
Examples
There's a man lying unconscious at the bus stop.
He was knocked unconscious by the fall but is talking now.
Reacting when someone speaks to or touches you, for example by opening your eyes, moving or answering; the opposite is unresponsive.
Where you use it
One of the first checks in any assessment: is the person responsive or unresponsive? Rescuers say 'responsive to voice' or 'responsive to pain', which links to the AVPU scale. In reports, 'unresponsive' is more common and more precise than 'unconscious'.
Examples
The caller said the woman was unresponsive and not breathing normally.
She's responsive to voice but very drowsy.
Common phrases
unresponsive patient · responsive to voice · responsive to pain · become unresponsive
The regular beat of the heart that you can feel where an artery is close to the skin, such as at the wrist or the side of the neck.
Where you use it
You feel for, check or take a pulse. Clinicians describe it as strong or weak, fast or slow, regular or irregular, and name the place: radial pulse (wrist), carotid pulse (neck). In cardiac arrest, staff say 'no pulse' or 'pulseless'.
Examples
I've got a weak radial pulse, about 120.
He has no pulse. Start compressions!
Common phrases
check a pulse · feel for a pulse · weak pulse · radial pulse · carotid pulse
A stable position on the side for an unresponsive person who is breathing normally, which helps keep the airway open and lets fluids drain from the mouth.
Where you use it
A standard first aid term. You put, place or roll someone into the recovery position. Families may describe it as 'putting him on his side'. The term only applies to a person who is breathing; it is different from the positions used for CPR or a suspected spinal injury.
Examples
He's breathing but not responding, so I've put him in the recovery position.
Keep her in the recovery position and tell me if her breathing changes.
Common phrases
put someone in the recovery position · place in the recovery position · roll into the recovery position
A fast, structured first check of a patient, usually in the ABCDE order, to find and deal with life-threatening problems.
Where you use it
Used in trauma courses, ambulance services and emergency departments. You carry out or complete the primary survey before moving on to the secondary survey. Problems found during it are usually treated straight away before the check continues.
Examples
Primary survey is clear: airway open, breathing normal, no major bleeding.
Finish the primary survey before you splint that ankle.
Common phrases
carry out a primary survey · complete the primary survey · primary survey findings
Checking that the place where someone is hurt or ill is safe to enter, so that rescuers do not become casualties themselves.
Where you use it
The first step on almost every first aid and ambulance course, before touching the patient. Hazards include traffic, fire, electricity, gas, violence and unstable buildings. Crews say a scene is 'safe' or 'not safe' and may wait for police or firefighters to 'make the scene safe'.
Examples
Scene safety first: there's a power line on the ground.
We held back for scene safety until the police confirmed the attacker had left.
Common phrases
scene safety check · ensure scene safety · make the scene safe · scene assessment
A person who is injured or suddenly ill and needs first aid; in news reports, also a person killed or injured in an accident, disaster or war.
Where you use it
UK first aid manuals usually call the person being helped 'the casualty' rather than 'the patient'. At major incidents, casualties are counted and triaged. In older British English, 'Casualty' was also the name of the hospital's A&E department.
Examples
There are three casualties in the car, and one of them is trapped.
Talk to the casualty and keep them warm until help arrives.
Usage note
In news reports 'casualties' usually includes both the dead and the injured, so do not automatically translate it as 'ölü'.
A member of the public who happens to be present when someone collapses or is hurt, and who is not part of the emergency services.
Where you use it
Common in resuscitation research and guidelines: bystander CPR, bystander defibrillation. Crews ask bystanders what happened or for help, and sometimes have to move them back. The 'bystander effect' describes how people in a crowd may wait for someone else to act.
Examples
A bystander started CPR within a minute of his collapse.
Can you ask the bystanders to step back and give us some room?
Common phrases
bystander CPR · bystander effect · witnessed by bystanders · bystander help
So serious that it could cause death if it is not treated quickly, such as a blocked airway, heavy bleeding or cardiac arrest.
Where you use it
Used to set priorities in assessment and triage: life-threatening problems are found and treated first. Doctors and news reports say an injury is 'not life-threatening' to reassure people. A related phrase is 'life or limb', a threat to life or to an arm or leg.
Examples
His injuries are serious but not life-threatening.
Look for life-threatening bleeding before anything else.
The basic measurements that show how the body is coping, usually pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, temperature and level of consciousness.
Where you use it
Paramedics take a first set of vital signs on scene and repeat them to spot changes on the way to hospital. Americans often say 'vitals' and British crews 'obs'. A handover usually includes the latest set and the trend.
Examples
Vital signs on scene: pulse 110, BP 100 over 60, sats 94 percent.
Repeat his vital signs every five minutes on the way in.
Usage note
In this meaning 'vital signs' is always plural: 'her vital signs are stable'.
A detailed head-to-toe examination and history taken after the primary survey, once life-threatening problems have been dealt with.
Where you use it
Used in trauma and ambulance care. It looks for injuries missed earlier and gathers background, often with the acronym SAMPLE: signs and symptoms, allergies, medications, past history, last meal and events. In unstable patients it may be done on the way to hospital.
Examples
On secondary survey we found a deep cut on the back of his head.
Do the secondary survey in the ambulance, we need to move now.
A quick scale for level of consciousness: the patient is Alert, responds to Voice, responds to Pain, or is Unresponsive.
Where you use it
Used by first aiders, ambulance crews and ward staff because it is faster than the GCS. People say a patient is 'A on AVPU' or 'only responding to pain'. Some UK early warning tools use ACVPU, adding C for new confusion.
Examples
She's V on AVPU: she opens her eyes when you speak to her.
His AVPU dropped from A to P during the transfer.
Common phrases
AVPU scale · alert on AVPU · responds to voice · responds to pain
Short for Glasgow Coma Scale: a score from 3 to 15 for level of consciousness, based on how a patient opens their eyes, speaks and moves.
Where you use it
Said letter by letter. Staff report the total and the parts, for example 'GCS 13: E3 V4 M6'. A falling GCS is an important warning sign. GCS 15 means fully alert and oriented; the lowest possible score is 3, not zero.
Examples
GCS was 14 on scene, now it's 11.
He's confused, so his GCS is 14 with a verbal score of 4.
Common phrases
GCS score · drop in GCS · GCS of 15 · record the GCS
To fall down suddenly because of illness or weakness, often becoming unconscious; it is also used as a noun for the event.
Where you use it
Very common in emergency calls and reports: 'He collapsed at work', 'a witnessed collapse'. Crews ask what happened just before, whether the person hit their head and how long they were on the floor. Doctors use 'syncope' for a brief faint, which is only one possible cause.
Examples
A man has collapsed in the gym and isn't breathing.
She collapsed while queuing in the hot sun.
Common phrases
collapse suddenly · witnessed collapse · collapse at home · found collapsed
To become conscious again after fainting, a seizure, an injury or an anesthetic.
Where you use it
Mostly British; Americans say 'come around' or 'come to'. Crews ask how long it took the person to come round and whether they were confused afterwards, because this helps separate a simple faint from a seizure or a head injury.
Examples
He's coming round now, he's opening his eyes.
How long did it take her to come round?
Common phrases
come round quickly · slowly come round · come round after a faint
To become worse, for example when a patient's breathing, blood pressure or level of consciousness gets worse over time.
Where you use it
A key word in handovers and escalation: a patient deteriorates, is deteriorating or shows signs of deterioration. Crews may send a 'pre-alert' to the hospital because the patient is deteriorating quickly. The opposite is 'improve'.
Examples
He deteriorated on the way in and needed airway support.
Her breathing is deteriorating, can we get the doctor now?
Common phrases
deteriorate rapidly · deteriorating patient · signs of deterioration · continue to deteriorate
Short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation: chest compressions, often with rescue breaths, given to someone whose heart has stopped, to keep blood and oxygen moving to the brain.
Where you use it
Said letter by letter. People start, perform, give or continue CPR. You will also hear 'bystander CPR' (done by members of the public), 'hands-only CPR' (compressions without breaths) and '30:2', read as 'thirty to two', meaning thirty compressions to two breaths.
Examples
She's not breathing normally. Start CPR and I'll get the AED.
The crew continued CPR all the way to the hospital.
A sudden stop in the heart's effective pumping, so that blood no longer reaches the brain and the person collapses and stops breathing normally.
Where you use it
A key term in emergency work. A person goes into or suffers a cardiac arrest; staff say 'he's arrested' or 'she's in arrest'. Reports separate out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) from in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), and witnessed from unwitnessed arrests.
Examples
The patient went into cardiac arrest in the back of the ambulance.
Survival after cardiac arrest depends on how quickly CPR starts.
Usage note
A cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. Turkish 'kalp krizi' is often used for both, but in English a heart attack is a blocked blood supply to the heart muscle, and the person is usually still conscious.
Common phrases
go into cardiac arrest · witnessed cardiac arrest · out-of-hospital cardiac arrest · survive a cardiac arrest
Hard, fast, rhythmic pushes on the centre of the chest during CPR that squeeze the heart and keep some blood flowing to the brain.
Where you use it
Usually plural. You start, deliver or pause chest compressions; trainers talk about their rate, depth and quality, and about letting the chest recoil. Teams swap the person doing compressions regularly because good compressions are tiring.
Examples
Let's swap after this cycle, your chest compressions are getting shallow.
Keep the pauses in chest compressions as short as possible while the pads go on.
Breaths that a rescuer blows into a person's lungs, mouth to mouth or through a mask, when that person is not breathing normally.
Where you use it
Used in CPR training and guidelines, usually in the plural: give two rescue breaths. Lay people often say 'mouth-to-mouth' or, in the UK, 'the kiss of life'. Professionals usually give breaths with a pocket mask or a bag-valve-mask rather than mouth to mouth.
Examples
The dispatcher told her to skip the rescue breaths and just push on the chest.
I gave two rescue breaths but his chest didn't rise.
Common phrases
give rescue breaths · two rescue breaths · mouth-to-mouth · pocket mask
Short for automated external defibrillator: a portable device that checks the heart rhythm through pads on the chest and gives an electric shock if one is needed.
Where you use it
Found in airports, shopping centres, gyms and offices, often under a green sign showing a heart and a lightning bolt. You fetch, attach or use an AED; it gives spoken instructions, analyses the rhythm and says whether a shock is advised. In the UK it is often just called a defibrillator or 'defib'.
Examples
Someone get the AED from reception!
The AED advised a shock, and he started breathing after the second one.
Common phrases
fetch an AED · attach the AED pads · public access AED · nearest AED
A machine that gives a controlled electric shock to the heart to stop a dangerous, chaotic rhythm and let a normal rhythm return.
Where you use it
Includes AEDs for the public and manual defibrillators used by paramedics and hospital teams, which also show the ECG. Staff charge the defibrillator, tell everyone to stand clear and deliver a shock. People often shorten it to 'defib' and even use it as a verb: 'We defibbed him twice.'
Examples
Charging the defibrillator. Everyone stand clear!
The nearest public defibrillator is outside the pharmacy.
Common phrases
manual defibrillator · charge the defibrillator · public access defibrillator · defibrillator pads
Emergency treatment to restart or support breathing and circulation in someone who is dying or very unstable, including CPR, shocks, drugs and fluids.
Where you use it
A broad word: cardiopulmonary resuscitation is CPR, while 'fluid resuscitation' means giving fluids to a shocked patient. Staff talk about resuscitation attempts and about DNACPR or DNR orders, decisions made in advance not to attempt CPR. The short form 'resus' also means the resuscitation room.
Examples
Resuscitation continued for forty minutes before the team stopped.
He has a do-not-attempt-resuscitation order in his notes.
Short for return of spontaneous circulation: the point during resuscitation when the heart starts beating effectively again and a pulse can be felt.
Where you use it
Usually said as one word, 'rosk', or letter by letter. Teams say 'we've got ROSC' or 'ROSC achieved' and then move on to post-ROSC care. Research reports ROSC rates separately from survival to hospital discharge.
A series of linked steps that give a person in cardiac arrest the best chance of living: early call for help, early CPR, early defibrillation and good care afterwards.
Where you use it
Shown as a chain of linked rings in resuscitation guidelines and training posters. The exact links differ slightly between organizations, and some add recovery as a final link. The idea is that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Examples
Bystanders are the first links in the chain of survival.
Our training day starts with the chain of survival.
Common phrases
link in the chain of survival · chain of survival poster · strengthen the chain of survival
Irregular gasping or snoring breaths that may occur in the first minutes after cardiac arrest; they are not normal breathing.
Where you use it
A known cause of delayed CPR, because bystanders think the person is still breathing. Call handlers are trained to ask whether breathing is normal and to recognize gasping when callers describe it. Also called 'agonal gasps' or simply 'gasping'.
Examples
The caller said he was snoring, but it was agonal breathing.
Agonal breathing is a sign of cardiac arrest, not a reason to wait.
A hand-held device with a self-inflating bag and a face mask, squeezed to push air or oxygen into the lungs of someone who is not breathing adequately.
Where you use it
Often shortened to BVM. Staff talk about 'bagging' or 'bagging the patient'. It works best with two people, one holding the mask tight on the face and one squeezing the bag. Ambu is a brand name, but many people call any BVM an 'Ambu bag'.
Examples
Pass me the bag-valve-mask and turn the oxygen up to fifteen litres.
One of us held the mask while the other squeezed the bag-valve-mask.
Common phrases
bag-valve-mask ventilation · BVM · bag the patient · two-person BVM
A life-threatening condition in which not enough blood and oxygen reach the body's organs, for example after heavy bleeding, a severe infection or a serious allergic reaction.
Where you use it
In emergency work 'shock' means circulatory failure. Clinicians name the type: hypovolemic (from blood or fluid loss; UK hypovolaemic), septic, anaphylactic or cardiogenic. Typical signs are pale, cold, clammy skin and a fast pulse. A patient is 'in shock' or 'shocked'.
Examples
He's pale, sweaty and his pulse is 130. I think he's going into shock.
Blood loss from the pelvic fracture had put her in shock.
Usage note
In everyday English 'in shock' can also mean emotionally upset after bad news. Medical shock is a physical emergency, so make clear which meaning you intend.
Common phrases
go into shock · signs of shock · hypovolemic shock · in shock · treat for shock
Physical injury to the body caused by an outside force, such as a road crash, a fall, an assault or an explosion, especially when it is serious.
Where you use it
In emergency medicine 'trauma' means physical injury; in psychology it means emotional damage. Hospitals have trauma teams, trauma bays and major trauma centres, and a 'trauma call' alerts the team before the patient arrives. Common types are blunt, penetrating and major trauma.
Examples
We've got a major trauma coming in: motorcyclist versus car, ten minutes out.
The trauma team is waiting in resus.
Usage note
Both /ˈtrɔːmə/ and /ˈtraʊmə/ are heard; neither is wrong.
Common phrases
major trauma · trauma team · trauma centre · head trauma · trauma call
Any injury to the scalp, skull or brain, from a minor bump to a serious brain injury with bleeding or swelling inside the skull.
Where you use it
Very common in falls, sport and road crashes. Crews ask about loss of consciousness, vomiting, memory and blood-thinning drugs, and many patients get a CT scan. Clinicians use 'traumatic brain injury' (TBI) for damage to the brain itself, and patients going home receive written 'head injury advice'.
Examples
Elderly lady, fell down the stairs, head injury, on blood thinners.
He was kept in overnight for observation after the head injury.
Common phrases
minor head injury · severe head injury · head injury advice · traumatic brain injury
Damage to the bones of the spine or to the spinal cord inside them, which can cause pain, numbness, weakness or paralysis below the injury.
Where you use it
Suspected after falls from height, diving accidents and high-speed crashes. Crews talk about 'spinal precautions' or 'spinal motion restriction', and about 'clearing the spine' once an injury has been ruled out. 'Spinal cord injury' (SCI) refers specifically to the nerve tissue.
Examples
He dived into shallow water, so we're treating it as a spinal injury.
There was no sign of spinal injury, and the collar was removed in the ED.
A mild brain injury caused by a blow or jolt to the head, which can cause headache, confusion, dizziness and memory problems, usually for a short time.
Where you use it
Common in sport and falls. A player may be 'concussed', taken off the pitch and asked to follow a gradual return-to-play plan. Loss of consciousness is not needed for a concussion, which surprises many patients.
Examples
He took a knee to the head and probably has a concussion.
Concussion symptoms can last for days or even weeks.
How an injury happened and what forces were involved, such as the height of a fall, the speed of a crash or the type of weapon.
Where you use it
Often shortened to MOI and given early in a handover, because it helps predict hidden injuries. Crews describe a 'significant mechanism', such as a rollover or ejection from a vehicle, even when the patient looks well.
Examples
Mechanism of injury: fall from a second-floor balcony onto concrete.
He looks fine, but with that mechanism of injury we're taking him to the trauma centre.
Common phrases
significant mechanism of injury · high-energy mechanism · describe the mechanism of injury
A firm, adjustable collar fitted around the neck to limit movement when a neck or spinal injury is suspected.
Where you use it
Usually called a 'C-collar' or simply a 'collar'. Crews size, fit or remove a collar. Guidelines have moved away from collaring every trauma patient, and many services now use selective spinal motion restriction instead.
Examples
She's in a cervical collar and on a scoop stretcher.
The cervical collar stayed on until the CT scan was reported.
Usage note
'Cervical' is said /ˈsɜːrvɪkəl/ in American English and often /səˈvaɪkəl/ in British English.
Common phrases
fit a cervical collar · C-collar · rigid collar · remove the collar
The period, traditionally about one hour, after a serious injury during which fast treatment is believed to give the best chance of survival.
Where you use it
Widely used in trauma teaching and the media to explain why speed matters. Many experts point out that there is nothing magic about exactly sixty minutes, so the idea is now used more loosely. A similar phrase for time on scene is the 'platinum ten minutes'.
Examples
The aim was to get him into theatre within the golden hour.
The air ambulance helps patients in remote areas reach a trauma centre within the golden hour.
Common phrases
within the golden hour · the golden hour of trauma · platinum ten minutes
Injury caused by an impact with a hard object or surface that does not pierce the skin, as in road crashes, falls and punches.
Where you use it
The opposite of penetrating trauma. It can cause serious internal injuries, such as bleeding in the abdomen or chest, with few visible marks on the skin, so clinicians pay close attention to the mechanism. Common phrases are blunt chest trauma and blunt abdominal trauma.
Examples
Blunt trauma to the chest from the steering wheel.
An injury in which an object, such as a knife, a bullet or a piece of metal, goes through the skin into the tissues below.
Where you use it
Also called penetrating trauma. Stab wounds and gunshot wounds are penetrating injuries, and clinicians note entry and exit wounds. An object still stuck in the body is called an 'impaled object'.
Examples
Penetrating injury to the left chest, single stab wound.
Even a small entry wound can hide a serious penetrating injury.
The loss of blood from a damaged blood vessel, either out of the body through a wound or inside the body where it cannot be seen.
Where you use it
Bleeding can be heavy, severe, minor, external or internal; you control or stop bleeding. In trauma, catastrophic or major bleeding is the top priority. The verb is irregular, bleed, bled, bled: 'He's bleeding from the head.'
Examples
There's a lot of bleeding from his leg. We need help fast.
Internal bleeding can cause shock even when there is no visible wound.
Common phrases
severe bleeding · internal bleeding · control the bleeding · stop the bleeding · minor bleeding
Firm pressure pressed straight onto a bleeding wound, by hand or with a dressing, to slow or stop external bleeding.
Where you use it
The name of the basic method for external bleeding taught on first aid courses. You apply, keep or maintain direct pressure. Trainers also mention 'wound packing' for deep wounds and the tourniquet for limb bleeding that direct pressure cannot control.
Examples
Keep direct pressure on it. Don't lift the pad to check.
Direct pressure alone stopped the bleeding from his hand.
Common phrases
apply direct pressure · maintain direct pressure · firm direct pressure
An injury where the skin or other tissue is cut, torn, pierced or broken, for example by a knife, glass, a fall or a bite.
Where you use it
A general word used by all staff. Wounds are described by type (cut, laceration, puncture wound, abrasion), size, depth and whether they are clean or dirty. You clean, dress, close or stitch a wound. As a verb it is used mainly for weapons: 'He was wounded in the leg.'
Examples
The wound is about four centimetres long and still oozing.
We'll clean the wound and close it with glue.
Usage note
'Wound' meaning an injury is pronounced /wuːnd/ and rhymes with 'spooned'. 'Wound' /waʊnd/, rhyming with 'round', is the past form of 'wind'.
Common phrases
clean the wound · dress a wound · open wound · stab wound · wound infection
A tight band placed around an arm or leg above a wound to stop heavy bleeding by squeezing the blood vessels shut.
Where you use it
Current guidelines include commercial tourniquets for life-threatening limb bleeding that direct pressure cannot control, an approach brought into civilian care from military medicine. Crews record the time it was applied, often by writing it on the tourniquet or the patient. You apply, tighten or remove a tourniquet.
Examples
Tourniquet applied to the right thigh at 14:05.
We carry tourniquets in every bleeding control kit.
Usage note
Pronunciation varies: Americans usually say /ˈtɜːrnɪkət/ (TUR-ni-kit), while many British speakers say /ˈtʊənɪkeɪ/ (TOOR-ni-kay).
Common phrases
apply a tourniquet · tourniquet time · commercial tourniquet · improvised tourniquet
A sterile pad or covering placed directly on a wound to protect it, absorb blood and help it heal.
Where you use it
A dressing goes on the wound; a bandage holds it in place or adds pressure. You apply, change or remove a dressing. Kits contain sterile dressings, non-adherent dressings for burns and hemostatic dressings that help blood clot.
Examples
Put a clean dressing on it and I'll bandage over the top.
Blood was coming through the first dressing, so we added a second.
Usage note
Turkish 'pansuman' usually means the act of cleaning and covering a wound; in English that is 'dressing a wound' or 'changing a dressing'. In everyday English 'dressing' is also a salad sauce.
Common phrases
sterile dressing · apply a dressing · change a dressing · non-adherent dressing · hemostatic dressing
A strip of cloth or elastic material wrapped around part of the body to hold a dressing in place, give support or apply pressure.
Where you use it
Types include roller bandages, elastic bandages for sprains and triangular bandages, often used as slings. 'Bandage' is also a verb: bandage a wound. A small sticky dressing is often called a Band-Aid (a brand name) in the US and a plaster in the UK.
Examples
Her fingers were cold because the bandage was too tight.
He came in with his hand bandaged in a kitchen towel.
The medical word for bleeding, especially heavy bleeding, either from a wound or inside the body.
Where you use it
More formal than 'bleeding' and common in reports and textbooks: major hemorrhage, catastrophic hemorrhage, intracranial hemorrhage. Hospitals have major hemorrhage or massive transfusion protocols to release blood quickly. It is also a verb: 'The patient was hemorrhaging.'
Examples
In many trauma protocols, catastrophic hemorrhage comes first, even before the airway.
The scan showed a small hemorrhage in the brain.
Usage note
British spelling: haemorrhage. The 'h' after the 'r' is silent: /ˈhemərɪdʒ/.
Common phrases
major hemorrhage · catastrophic hemorrhage · control the hemorrhage · internal hemorrhage
A wound where the skin is cut or torn, often with uneven edges, for example from glass, metal or a fall onto a sharp edge.
Where you use it
A formal word for a cut, written in notes and handovers with its size and site: 'a 3 cm laceration to the forehead'. Lacerations are cleaned and closed with stitches (sutures), glue or adhesive strips. Patients usually just say 'cut' or 'gash'.
Examples
She has a 4 cm laceration on her scalp that will need stitches.
Small lacerations to both hands from broken glass.
Common phrases
scalp laceration · deep laceration · suture a laceration · facial laceration
Bleeding from the inside of the nose, often from small blood vessels near the front; the medical word is epistaxis.
Where you use it
Very common and usually minor, but it can be heavy in older people or those taking blood thinners. Clinicians write 'epistaxis' and ask how long it has been bleeding and from which side. People say they 'have a nosebleed' or that their 'nose is bleeding'.
Examples
He's had a nosebleed for over an hour and he's on warfarin.
Nosebleeds in children are common after nose-picking or a knock.
Common phrases
have a nosebleed · severe nosebleed · stop a nosebleed · recurrent nosebleeds
A shallow wound where the top layer of skin has been scraped off, for example after a fall onto a rough road.
Where you use it
The medical word for a graze or scrape. Abrasions are common in cyclists and motorcyclists, who call them 'road rash'. They may bleed only a little but often contain dirt or grit that has to be cleaned out.
Examples
Multiple abrasions to both knees and the left elbow.
The abrasion on his cheek is full of gravel.
Common phrases
minor abrasions · multiple abrasions · clean an abrasion · road rash
Damage to the skin and the tissue under it caused by heat, flames, hot liquids, chemicals, electricity or radiation.
Where you use it
Burns are described by cause (thermal, chemical, electrical), depth (superficial, partial-thickness, full-thickness) and size as a percentage of body surface area. Staff talk about cooling and covering a burn. The older terms first-, second- and third-degree burn are still common with the public.
Examples
She has a burn on her forearm from the oven door.
Electrical burns can look small on the skin but hide deeper damage.
Common phrases
minor burn · severe burn · chemical burn · cool the burn · burn dressing
A break or crack in a bone, from a thin crack that barely shows on an X-ray to a bone broken into several pieces.
Where you use it
The formal word; patients usually say 'broken'. Fractures are described as open or closed, displaced or undisplaced, and by the bone involved. A 'suspected fracture' has not yet been confirmed on an X-ray. The verb is common too: 'He fractured his wrist.'
Examples
The X-ray shows a fracture of the left wrist.
We'll treat it as a suspected fracture until it's been X-rayed.
Common phrases
suspected fracture · open fracture · hip fracture · hairline fracture · displaced fracture
An injury to a ligament, the tough tissue that joins bones at a joint, caused by twisting or stretching it too far; ankles and wrists are most often affected.
Where you use it
Also a verb: sprain your ankle. Patients often worry that a sprain is really a fracture, and clinicians use examination, decision rules or an X-ray to tell the difference. First aid courses often use the acronym RICE or PRICE for soft-tissue injuries such as sprains.
Examples
It's probably a bad sprain, but we'll X-ray it to rule out a fracture.
She sprained her ankle stepping off the bus.
Usage note
'Sprain' (ligament) and 'strain' (muscle or tendon) are easily confused; Turkish 'incinme' is often used for both.
Common phrases
ankle sprain · bad sprain · sprain your wrist · sprains and strains
A rigid or padded support fastened along an injured limb to stop it moving, reduce pain and prevent further damage.
Where you use it
Ambulances carry vacuum splints, box splints and traction splints for thigh fractures; first aiders may improvise one from a rolled-up magazine. 'Splint' is also a verb: splint the arm. In hospital, a plaster 'backslab' may be used before a full cast.
Examples
We put a vacuum splint on her lower leg before moving her.
His forearm was splinted at the scene and he came in with good pain control.
An injury in which a bone is forced out of its normal position in a joint, such as the shoulder, a finger or the kneecap.
Where you use it
Patients often say their shoulder 'popped out'. Clinicians describe the direction, for example an anterior shoulder dislocation. Putting the bone back is called 'reduction' or 'relocation' and is usually done in hospital with pain relief. The verb is 'dislocate'.
Examples
It looks like a shoulder dislocation, he's holding his arm away from his body.
The finger dislocation was reduced in the department under a nerve block.
A broken bone where the skin over it is also broken, so the bone may be visible and the fracture is exposed to infection.
Where you use it
An older name is 'compound fracture', and the opposite is a 'closed fracture'. Open fractures are treated as emergencies because of the risk of bleeding and infection; crews cover the wound and hospitals usually give antibiotics early.
Examples
Motorcyclist with an open fracture of the left lower leg.
The open fracture was covered with a sterile dressing on scene.
Common phrases
open tibial fracture · compound fracture · closed fracture
A burn caused by hot liquid or steam, such as boiling water, hot tea or cooking oil.
Where you use it
Scalds are among the most common burns in young children, often from hot drinks or bath water. 'Scald' is also a verb: 'She scalded her hand.' Clinicians record the liquid, the time and the area affected.
Examples
Toddler with a scald to the chest from a cup of tea.
He scalded his arm while draining pasta.
Common phrases
scald injury · hot drink scald · bath water scald · scald your hand
The deepest type of burn, which destroys all layers of the skin and may reach fat, muscle or bone; the area can look white, leathery or charred.
Where you use it
Clinicians now prefer the terms superficial, partial-thickness and full-thickness to first, second and third degree. A full-thickness burn may hurt less than a shallower one because the nerve endings are damaged, and it usually needs specialist care and skin grafts.
Examples
There's a full-thickness burn on his right hand from the electrical fault.
Full-thickness burns covered about ten percent of her body.
To keep an injured part of the body from moving, using a splint, sling, collar or stretcher, to reduce pain and further damage.
Where you use it
You immobilize a limb, a fracture or the spine. The noun is 'immobilization': spinal immobilization, fracture immobilization. The British spelling is 'immobilise'. Many services now say 'spinal motion restriction' instead of full spinal immobilization.
Examples
We immobilized the leg with a vacuum splint before moving him.
Immobilize the wrist and send her for an X-ray.
Common phrases
immobilize a fracture · immobilize the spine · spinal immobilization · fully immobilized
A piece of cloth tied around the neck that supports an injured arm, wrist or shoulder and keeps it still.
Where you use it
Often made from a triangular bandage or bought ready-made with a strap. Common types are the arm sling and the elevation sling. Patients go home 'in a sling' or 'with their arm in a sling'.
Examples
She left the ED with her arm in a sling.
We made a sling from a triangular bandage.
Common phrases
arm sling · in a sling · elevation sling · triangular bandage
A blockage of the airway by food or a small object, so that the person cannot breathe, speak or cough properly.
Where you use it
First aid courses separate mild choking, when the person can still cough, from severe choking, when they cannot. Clinicians call it foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO). The verb is 'choke on': 'He choked on a piece of meat.'
Examples
A child is choking on a grape at table six!
The call was coded as choking, but the child was breathing by the time we arrived.
Usage note
Turkish 'boğulma' covers several English words: choking (something stuck in the airway), drowning (in water) and strangulation (pressure on the neck). Choose the right one.
Common phrases
severe choking · mild choking · choking hazard · choke on food
Quick inward and upward pushes just above the navel, used in first aid to force out an object that is blocking a choking person's airway.
Where you use it
The term used in current first aid guidelines; the older name 'Heimlich manoeuvre' (US maneuver) is still widely known. Courses teach them together with back blows for severe choking in adults and children, but they are not used on babies. You give or do abdominal thrusts.
Examples
After three abdominal thrusts, the piece of bread came out.
The waiter saw the man was choking and gave him abdominal thrusts.
Common phrases
give abdominal thrusts · back blows and abdominal thrusts · Heimlich manoeuvre
Damage to part of the heart muscle when its blood supply is suddenly blocked, usually by a clot in a coronary artery; typical signs are chest pain and breathlessness.
Where you use it
The everyday word; clinicians say myocardial infarction (MI) or acute coronary syndrome, and crews talk about a suspected STEMI after an ECG. People have or suffer a heart attack. Pain may spread to the arm, jaw or back, and some patients, especially women and people with diabetes, have unusual symptoms.
Examples
My dad has crushing chest pain. I think he's having a heart attack.
He had a heart attack last year and has a stent.
Usage note
A heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest, but the two terms are not interchangeable.
Common phrases
have a heart attack · suspected heart attack · signs of a heart attack · massive heart attack
A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blocked blood vessel or bleeding in the brain, often showing as a drooping face, arm weakness or slurred speech.
Where you use it
Crews and the public use the FAST test: Face, Arms, Speech, Time to call. Some US services say BE FAST, adding Balance and Eyes. Clinicians separate ischemic stroke (a clot) from hemorrhagic stroke (a bleed) and ask about 'time of onset' or when the patient was 'last seen well'.
Examples
Her face is drooping on one side and she can't lift her right arm. It looks like a stroke.
We're bringing in a suspected stroke, last seen well forty minutes ago.
Usage note
Turkish 'felç' often means paralysis in general; the medical equivalent of 'stroke' is 'inme'. The English word for paralysis in that wider sense is 'paralysis'.
Common phrases
have a stroke · suspected stroke · stroke symptoms · FAST test · stroke unit
A sudden burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that can cause shaking, stiffness, staring or a short loss of consciousness.
Where you use it
Clinicians prefer 'seizure' to the older word 'fit', which is still common in British speech. People have a seizure; crews ask how long it lasted and whether it was the first. A seizure that does not stop is status epilepticus, and afterwards the patient is often 'post-ictal': confused and drowsy.
Examples
He had a seizure lasting about two minutes and is now very sleepy.
Is this her first seizure, or does she have epilepsy?
Common phrases
have a seizure · first seizure · febrile seizure · seizure activity · post-ictal
A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that develops quickly and can affect breathing and circulation, triggered for example by foods, insect stings or medicines.
Where you use it
Signs include swelling of the lips or throat, wheezing, hives and a drop in blood pressure. The key drug is adrenaline (epinephrine), often given with an auto-injector. The adjective is 'anaphylactic': anaphylactic reaction, anaphylactic shock.
Examples
She is known to have anaphylaxis to peanuts and carries two auto-injectors.
Suspected anaphylaxis after a bee sting: lips swelling, wheezy, BP dropping.
A blood sugar level that is too low, most often in people with diabetes, causing shaking, sweating, confusion and sometimes seizures or unconsciousness.
Where you use it
Ambulance crews check the blood glucose of anyone who is confused, fitting or unconscious. People with diabetes often call it 'a hypo' or 'going low'. Because it can look like drunkenness or a stroke, it is a classic condition that crews take care not to miss.
Examples
His blood sugar is 38, so this looks like hypoglycemia rather than a stroke.
Type 1 diabetic, found confused at work, likely hypoglycemia.
Usage note
British spelling: hypoglycaemia. The opposite, high blood sugar, is hyperglycemia; the two words differ by only one letter, so say them clearly.
Common phrases
severe hypoglycemia · treat hypoglycemia · have a hypo · blood glucose level
To become unconscious for a short time, for example from heat, pain, fear or standing up too quickly; an informal way of saying faint.
Where you use it
Used by patients, families and callers, while clinicians write 'syncope' or 'loss of consciousness' (LOC). Similar everyday words are 'faint' and 'black out'. Crews ask whether the person passed out before or after a fall, because the answer changes the likely cause.
Examples
I stood up from the table and just passed out.
Did he pass out before or after he hit his head?
Usage note
Do not confuse 'pass out' (faint) with 'pass away' (die). In British English 'pass out' can also mean to graduate from military or police training.
Common phrases
pass out briefly · nearly pass out · pass out from the heat · pass out cold
A sudden worsening of asthma in which the airways tighten and swell, causing wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing.
Where you use it
Patients and the public say 'asthma attack'; clinicians often say 'acute asthma' or 'exacerbation' and grade it as moderate, severe or life-threatening. Crews ask about inhaler use, previous admissions and whether the person can speak in full sentences.
Examples
My son is having an asthma attack and his inhaler isn't helping.
She has had three asthma attacks this year that needed hospital care.
Common phrases
have an asthma attack · severe asthma attack · acute asthma · life-threatening asthma
A pen-shaped device with a hidden needle that gives a fixed dose of a medicine when pressed against the thigh, usually adrenaline for anaphylaxis.
Where you use it
People with severe allergies often carry one or two, and schools may keep spares. Brand names such as EpiPen are often used as general words. Crews ask whether an auto-injector has been used and when, and they record it.
Examples
Her mum used the auto-injector five minutes before we arrived.
He always carries two adrenaline auto-injectors.
Usage note
'Adrenaline' is the usual British word; Americans normally say 'epinephrine'. Both mean the same drug.
Common phrases
adrenaline auto-injector · use an auto-injector · carry an auto-injector · spare auto-injector
A dangerous fall in body temperature, generally below 35°C, after exposure to cold air or water, causing shivering, confusion and a slower pulse and breathing.
Where you use it
Seen in people lost in the mountains or rescued from water, in homeless people and in older people in cold homes. It is graded mild, moderate or severe. It also matters in trauma, because cold patients bleed more. In cold-water rescues you may hear 'not dead until warm and dead'.
Examples
He was found in the snow with hypothermia, core temperature 31 degrees.
Trauma patients lose heat quickly, so we work hard to prevent hypothermia.
Usage note
Hypothermia affects the whole body; frostbite is the freezing of a body part, such as fingers or toes. Turkish 'donma' can be used for either.
Harm caused when a toxic substance, such as a chemical, medicine, gas, plant or contaminated food, is swallowed, breathed in, injected or absorbed through the skin.
Where you use it
Common types include carbon monoxide poisoning, food poisoning and alcohol poisoning. A deliberate overdose of medicines is often recorded as an 'overdose' or 'self-poisoning'. Clinicians ask what was taken, how much, when and how, and may contact a poison information service.
Examples
The whole family has headaches, so we suspect carbon monoxide poisoning.
The toddler's poisoning was caused by dishwasher tablets.
The process of quickly sorting patients by how urgently they need treatment, so that the sickest are seen first rather than in order of arrival.
Where you use it
Used both in emergency departments and at major incidents. Patients are triaged (verb) by a triage nurse into categories, often shown by colour or number. Phone triage happens in call centres. Staff also use 'triage' for the area where this happens: 'Triage is busy.'
Examples
She was triaged as category two and seen within ten minutes.
Triage is busy tonight, there are twenty people waiting.
Usage note
Pronounced /ˈtriːɑːʒ/ (TREE-ahzh), from French. Do not say 'try-age'.
Common phrases
triage nurse · triage category · be triaged · triage area · phone triage
An event, such as a major crash, explosion or building collapse, that causes more casualties than local emergency services can normally handle at once.
Where you use it
Shortened to MCI, mostly in the US; British services usually say 'major incident'. When one is declared, special command structures, triage systems and hospital plans are activated. Staff talk about declaring, managing and standing down an MCI.
Examples
A mass casualty incident was declared after the bus overturned.
We run a mass casualty incident exercise at the stadium twice a year.
Common phrases
declare a mass casualty incident · MCI plan · major incident · MCI triage
A coloured label attached to a casualty at a major incident to show their treatment priority, so that other rescuers can see it at a glance.
Where you use it
Common colours are red for immediate, yellow for delayed or urgent, green for minor and black for dead or not expected to survive, though exact meanings vary between systems. Rescuers tag casualties and re-tag them as their condition changes.
Examples
Put a red triage tag on him, he's barely breathing.
Every casualty leaving the scene should have a triage tag.
Common phrases
red triage tag · attach a triage tag · triage tag colour · re-tag a casualty
Injured people who are still able to walk at the scene of an incident; in triage they are usually the lowest priority group.
Where you use it
A plural group noun: 'the walking wounded were sent to a collection point'. In systems such as START triage, rescuers ask everyone who can walk to move to one area, which quickly separates them from the more seriously injured. Some later turn out to be badly hurt, so they are reassessed.
Examples
The walking wounded are gathered next to the fire engine.
About forty walking wounded went to the nearest hospital by bus.
Common phrases
the walking wounded · walking wounded area · triage the walking wounded
Needing attention soon; in triage and ambulance systems, a level of priority that is serious but usually below an immediate threat to life.
Where you use it
Triage scales use levels such as immediate, very urgent, urgent, standard and non-urgent, and the exact levels differ between systems. In the UK, urgent care centres and the NHS 111 line deal with problems that are urgent but not emergencies. The noun is 'urgency'.
Examples
She was triaged as urgent and waited forty minutes for a doctor.
It's not life-threatening, but it is urgent: he needs a scan today.
Usage note
Turkish 'acil' covers both 'emergency' and 'urgent'. In English triage, 'urgent' is usually a lower level than 'emergency' or 'immediate', so translate with care.
Common phrases
urgent care · very urgent · non-urgent · urgent attention
A vehicle with medical equipment and trained staff that treats sick or injured people at the scene and on the way to hospital, and takes them there.
Where you use it
You call, send or wait for an ambulance; it is dispatched to a scene and arrives or attends. Crews take, or formally 'convey', patients to hospital. There are also air ambulances (helicopters or planes) and non-emergency patient transport services.
Examples
The ambulance took twelve minutes to arrive.
An ambulance is on its way. Stay with him.
Usage note
The stress is on the first syllable: AM-byuh-luns. Turkish speakers often stress the last syllable, as in 'ambulans'.
Common phrases
call an ambulance · ambulance crew · ambulance service · air ambulance · ambulance station
A trained health professional who works mainly on ambulances, assessing and treating patients at the scene and on the way to hospital.
Where you use it
In the UK, paramedics are registered professionals trained to degree level; in the US, paramedic is the highest common EMS level, able to give more drugs and procedures than an EMT. The public sometimes calls any ambulance worker a paramedic.
Examples
The paramedics gave him pain relief before moving him.
I've been a paramedic for eight years, mostly in rural areas.
A frame with a padded surface, often on wheels, used to carry a sick or injured person who cannot walk.
Where you use it
Crews load patients onto a stretcher and into the ambulance; they also use carry chairs on stairs and scoop stretchers to lift people off the ground. Americans often call the wheeled ambulance stretcher a gurney or cot, and in UK hospitals a wheeled one is a trolley.
Examples
We'll need the scoop stretcher, he's lying in a narrow corridor.
Patients on stretchers were lined up in the corridor.
Common phrases
scoop stretcher · on a stretcher · load onto a stretcher · stretcher bearer
Short for emergency medical services: the system of ambulances, staff and call centres that gives urgent medical care outside hospital.
Where you use it
Common in the US and in international research: EMS providers, EMS crews, EMS systems. British English usually says 'the ambulance service'. Related terms are 'prehospital care' and 'out-of-hospital care'.
A person trained to reach an emergency quickly and give early care before or alongside the ambulance, such as a police officer, firefighter, lifeguard or volunteer.
Where you use it
In US usage 'first responders' often means police, fire and EMS together. Many areas have community first responders, volunteers sent to nearby cardiac arrests and other serious calls. In the US, 'emergency medical responder' (EMR) is an entry-level certification.
Examples
A first responder from the fire station started CPR before the ambulance arrived.
First responders were at the scene within four minutes.
Common phrases
community first responder · first responder training · police and other first responders
Short for emergency medical technician: a trained ambulance worker who gives basic emergency care, one level below a paramedic in most US systems.
Where you use it
Mainly American. The levels include EMT, Advanced EMT (AEMT) and paramedic, each allowed to do more. EMTs often work in pairs with paramedics. In the UK similar roles have different titles, such as ambulance technician.
Examples
She's an EMT and is studying to become a paramedic.
Two EMTs carried him down the stairs in a carry chair.
Common phrases
EMT-Basic · Advanced EMT · EMT training · EMT crew
The time between an emergency call and the arrival of the first ambulance or responder at the scene.
Where you use it
A key performance measure for ambulance services, often reported as an average or a 90th percentile against national targets. Services start the clock at different points, so figures are not always comparable. It is a frequent topic in news reports and budget debates.
Examples
Our average response time in rural areas is far too long.
The response time to the cardiac arrest was six minutes.
Common phrases
average response time · response time target · improve response times · meet response times
The passing of a patient and the key information about them from one team to another, for example from an ambulance crew to emergency department staff.
Where you use it
Crews give a handover, often in a structured format such as ATMIST, SBAR or MIST, and the receiving team is asked to listen without interrupting. Handover delays leave ambulances waiting outside busy EDs. American English also says 'hand-off' or 'report'.
Examples
Can everyone listen for the handover, please? This is Ahmet, 54, chest pain since noon.
Handover delays kept three ambulances outside for over an hour.
Common phrases
give a handover · clinical handover · handover delays · structured handover
A structured format for handing over trauma patients: Age, Time of incident, Mechanism, Injuries, Signs (vital signs) and Treatment given.
Where you use it
Common in UK ambulance services and military medicine, both for radio pre-alerts and face-to-face handovers. Some versions add extra letters, such as E for estimated time of arrival. Similar formats include MIST and SBAR.
Examples
Here's the ATMIST: male, about thirty, cyclist hit by a van at ten past three, chest and leg injuries.
Write the ATMIST down before you call the hospital.
Common phrases
ATMIST handover · ATMIST pre-alert · give an ATMIST
The written or electronic record an ambulance crew makes for each patient: what happened, the findings, the treatment given and changes over time.
Where you use it
Often shortened to PCR in the US, which can be confused with the laboratory test. In the UK it is called the patient report form (PRF) or electronic patient record (ePR). It is a legal document, so crews complete it carefully and leave a copy at the hospital.
Examples
I'll finish the patient care report while you restock the ambulance.
The patient care report showed his blood pressure had been dropping.
Common phrases
complete a patient care report · electronic patient care report · patient report form
The hospital department that treats people who arrive with a sudden illness or injury, without an appointment, 24 hours a day.
Where you use it
The official term, shortened to ED. Americans also say ER (emergency room) and the British say A&E. Staff talk about ED attendances and waiting times. Patients are 'seen in ED', then admitted, discharged or referred to another service.
Examples
She was brought to the emergency department after a car crash.
The emergency department is full, so ambulances are queuing outside.
Common phrases
emergency department staff · attend the emergency department · emergency department doctor · busy emergency department
Short for accident and emergency: the usual British name for a hospital's emergency department.
Where you use it
Said 'A and E'. Used by the public, the media and staff in the UK and some other countries, although official documents increasingly say 'emergency department'. People go to A&E, end up in A&E or wait for hours in A&E. Americans say ER.
Examples
I spent five hours in A&E with my son's broken arm.
A&E is under huge pressure this winter.
Common phrases
go to A&E · A&E department · A&E waiting times · A&E nurse
An informal short form of resuscitation, used especially for the resuscitation room of an emergency department, where the sickest patients are treated.
Where you use it
Everyday staff talk in UK and Australian EDs: 'take him straight to resus', 'resus bay 2'. It can also mean the act itself: 'a long resus'. In US hospitals similar rooms may be called trauma bays or critical care rooms.
Examples
Pre-alert: cardiac arrest, five minutes out, straight into resus.
Resus is full, so we're using the side room.
Common phrases
resus room · resus bay · take to resus · resus team
A trolley on wheels that holds the equipment and drugs needed for resuscitation, such as a defibrillator, airway kit and emergency medicines.
Where you use it
The US term; British staff say 'crash trolley' or 'resus trolley'. It is checked daily, restocked after use and often sealed so that nothing goes missing. 'Crash' also appears in 'crash call' and 'crash team', the hospital team called to a cardiac arrest.
Examples
Bring the crash cart to bed six, he's arresting!
I've checked and restocked the crash cart after the arrest.
Common phrases
crash cart check · restock the crash cart · crash trolley · crash team
Placing a tube through the mouth or nose into the windpipe so that the airway is protected and a machine or bag can breathe for the patient.
Where you use it
Done by doctors and, in some systems, by paramedics. Staff talk about intubating or, informally, 'tubing' a patient, and about rapid sequence induction or intubation (RSI) when drugs are used. Removing the tube is 'extubation'.
Examples
His GCS is 6, so we're preparing for intubation.
Intubation was difficult because of blood in the airway.
To accept a patient into the hospital as an inpatient, so that they stay for further treatment instead of going home.
Where you use it
ED doctors decide whether to admit or discharge a patient. A patient is admitted to a ward, a specialty or intensive care; the noun is 'admission'. 'Admission rate' and 'decision to admit' are common performance terms. Remember that 'admit' also means to agree that something is true.
Examples
We're going to admit her to the medical ward overnight.
He was admitted to intensive care after the crash.
Common phrases
admit to a ward · admit to intensive care · decision to admit · hospital admission
To allow a patient to leave the hospital or emergency department after assessment or treatment, usually with advice and follow-up arranged.
Where you use it
Patients are discharged home, discharged with advice or discharged to their family doctor. The noun is also 'discharge': discharge letter, discharge summary. Be careful: in wound care 'discharge' also means fluid, such as pus, coming from a wound.
Examples
Her X-ray was normal, so we discharged her with a sling.
He was discharged from the ED after four hours.
Common phrases
discharge home · discharge letter · discharge summary · safe to discharge
A sudden, serious situation, such as an accident, a fire or a sudden illness, that needs help or action immediately.
Where you use it
Very common in fixed phrases: a medical emergency, in an emergency, the emergency services, the emergency number. Before another noun it means 'for emergencies': emergency care, emergency medicine, emergency exit. Hospital staff often shorten the emergency department to 'Emergency'.
Examples
This is a medical emergency. We need an ambulance at the train station now.
In an emergency, dial 112 from any phone.
Common phrases
medical emergency · in an emergency · emergency services · emergency number · life-threatening emergency
A phone call to an emergency number, such as 112, 911 or 999, to ask for an ambulance, the police or the fire service.
Where you use it
You make or take an emergency call; call centres receive, record and log them. Call handlers first need the exact location and then what has happened. A fake call is a 'hoax call', and calls about problems that are not emergencies can delay help for others.
Examples
The emergency call came in at 3:42 a.m. from a farmhouse.
Every emergency call is recorded.
Common phrases
make an emergency call · take an emergency call · emergency call centre · hoax call · 999 call
A person in an emergency call centre who answers calls, decides what help is needed and sends ambulances or other services.
Where you use it
The usual US term; the UK more often says call handler or call taker, and some centres split answering and sending between two roles. Dispatchers often guide callers by phone, for example through CPR, until the crew arrives. The verb 'dispatch' means to send a unit.
Examples
The dispatcher talked the caller through CPR until the crew arrived.
The dispatcher sent two ambulances and a fire engine to the crash.
A standard opening question asked by emergency call handlers, especially in North America, to find out quickly what kind of help the caller needs.
Where you use it
Familiar from 911 calls in the US. In the UK the operator first asks 'Emergency, which service?' and then connects the caller to the ambulance, police or fire service, where the call handler asks for the address. A useful reply is short: what happened, where, and how many people are hurt.
Examples
'911, what's your emergency?' 'My neighbor fell off a ladder and isn't moving.'
The call handler asked 'What's your emergency?' and the caller just kept shouting the address.
Common phrases
911, what's your emergency? · Emergency, which service? · Where is the emergency?
A request to a caller not to hang up, so that the call handler can ask more questions or give instructions until help arrives.
Where you use it
One of the most common phrases in emergency calls. Call handlers also say 'stay on the line with me', 'don't hang up' and 'I'm still here'. 'Hold the line' is slightly different: it means wait to be connected.
Examples
Help is on the way. Stay on the line and tell me if anything changes.
The caller stayed on the line for twenty minutes until the crew arrived.
Common phrases
stay on the line with me · don't hang up · hold the line
To phone the emergency number and ask for an ambulance to come to a sick or injured person.
Where you use it
The most natural everyday phrase; 'call 911', 'dial 999' and, in British English, 'ring for an ambulance' are also used. First aid trainers teach people in a crowd to point at one person and say 'You, call an ambulance', because a general request is often ignored.
Examples
Somebody call an ambulance! He's not breathing!
Should I call an ambulance or take her to A&E myself?
Common phrases
ring for an ambulance · dial 999 · call 911 · call 112
Ten questions from this glossary. Pick the right meaning for each term and see your score.
How to learn emergency medicine & first aid vocabulary
Learn the short, fixed phrases first: 'Is he breathing?', 'Stay on the line', 'What's your emergency?', 'Help is on the way'. In an emergency people speak in short standard phrases, and recognising them quickly matters more than knowing rare words.
Learn every abbreviation with its full form and the way it is said: CPR and AED are read letter by letter, while ROSC is usually said as one word. Abbreviations are everywhere in radio messages, handovers and patient reports.
Read real texts from the field in English, such as published resuscitation guidelines, first aid manuals, ambulance service leaflets and case reports in emergency medicine journals, and notice how they describe priorities and assessment.
Practise a short structured handover (for example ATMIST or SBAR) and a mock emergency call aloud, giving the location first. Speaking clearly and in the right order under pressure is the skill most learners find hardest.
Notice UK and US differences, such as A&E and ER, crash trolley and crash cart, haemorrhage and hemorrhage, adrenaline and epinephrine, and learn first the version used where you plan to study or work.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 'emergency' and 'urgent'?
An emergency is a situation that threatens life or limb right now, such as cardiac arrest, severe bleeding or a stroke. 'Urgent' means something needs attention soon but is usually less immediate, and triage systems often have levels such as immediate, very urgent, urgent and non-urgent. Turkish 'acil' covers both, so choose the English word with care.
Is it ER, ED or A&E?
All three mean the hospital department for sudden illness and injury. 'Emergency department' (ED) is the formal international term, 'ER' (emergency room) is everyday American English and 'A&E' (accident and emergency) is the usual British name. At work, use the one your colleagues use.
Are a heart attack and a cardiac arrest the same thing?
No. A heart attack happens when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked; the person is usually awake and has chest pain. In cardiac arrest the heart stops pumping effectively, and the person collapses and stops breathing normally. A heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest. Turkish 'kalp krizi' is often used loosely for both, which causes translation mistakes.
What is the difference between a paramedic and an EMT?
Both work on ambulances, but in most US systems an EMT gives basic care, while a paramedic has longer training and can give more medicines and perform advanced procedures. In the UK, paramedics are registered professionals trained to degree level, and other crew members have titles such as ambulance technician or emergency care assistant. In Turkey the closest roles are 'paramedik' and 'acil tıp teknisyeni' (ATT).
Which emergency numbers are used in English-speaking countries?
The US and Canada use 911, the UK and Ireland use 999 (112 also works there and across the EU), Australia uses 000 and New Zealand uses 111. In the UK, 111 is a separate line for urgent medical problems that are not emergencies. In Turkey, 112 is the single number for ambulance, police and fire services.
