Emergency Room
We’re Ready When You Need Us
The Emergency Room (ER) at Saint Vincent Hospital provides you with access to nationally renowned experts in emergency medicine, toxicology, cardiac problems, trauma, and more when you need them most. At the Saint Vincent Hospital Emergency Room, you’ll find:
- Patient procedures designed to make sure you see a doctor as quickly as possible
- Expert emergency room doctors and highly skilled nurses providing specialized emergency care and triage
- A fully equipped department that treats more than 60,000 patients each year
We work with TEAMHealth, a physician led and physician focused company to provide physician coverage at Saint Vincent. This includes Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia and Hospitalist Medicine. With these experts on hand, Saint Vincent Hospital is proud to be able to offer some of the region’s top emergency care.
The Saint Vincent Hospital Emergency Room is designed for us to provide prompt, personalized care. Our facilities are fully equipped with 38 beds and specialized treatment rooms for resuscitation, eye, ear, nose and throat problems, orthopedic injuries, obstetrical and cardiac emergencies. If you’re in need of further care, Saint Vincent Hospital is able to admit you for treatment or direct you to specialized medicine at the hospital.
Door-to-Doctor Procedures
In order to ensure you see a doctor as soon as possible, our Emergency Room uses a “Door-to-Doctor” procedure for quick, effective treatment for every patient who comes through our doors. When you arrive, you’ll be seen by a triage nurse who will evaluate your condition and place you in a priority queue based on the severity of your symptoms. This order may change as new patients with more severe symptoms arrive at the emergency room. If your condition changes while you wait, please let the nurse know.
Depending on your condition, you may be sent to the emergency room to be seen by a doctor or asked to wait until an exam room is available.
After being seen by an emergency room doctor, you’ll either be sent home with instructions or referred to a consulting doctor or specialist who will decide if you should be admitted to the hospital.
All Emergency Room Services
Whether it’s a broken bone, high fever or a more severe medical emergency like a heart attack, we are ready to pro...
Find out what constitutes a medical emergency and when you should visit an emergency room or ER.
Come to our hospital knowing that we do everything possible to keep patients and staff safe.
Saint Vincent Hospital provides helpful emergency health articles and tips to keep you in the know on trending topics, c...
What Is Dry Drowning?
The term "dry drowning" was once used to refer to very rare cases when a person dies from difficulty breathing days after being submerged in water.
Dry Drowning vs. Secondary Drowning
Both dry drowning and secondary drowning are nonmedical terms used to refer to acute lung injury resulting from underwater accidents.With so-called dry drowning, water is inhaled through the nose and mouth causing the vocal cords to spasm and shut, preventing air from entering the lungs. It is called "dry drowning" because the victim's lungs do not have water in them.
Secondary drowning or delayed drowning is another term people use when water builds up in the lungs, where it can irritate its lining, causing edema or swelling. It occurs more rapidly after immersion in fresh water.
While dry drowning sets in less than an hour after a person inhales water, secondary drowning can happen up to 48 hours after a water accident.
Most medical authorities and organization now discourage the use of these terms. The preferred term is simply “drowning.”
When to Seek Medical Attention for Dry Drowning
Irritability, unusual behavior, or poor energy levels may set in following a water accident. This could mean the brain is not getting enough oxygen. Other symptoms to watch out for include:- Uncontrollable or continuous coughing
- Wheezing
- Light-headedness or dizziness
- Sleepiness
- Confusion
- Fast or hard breathing
- Abnormal breathing patterns
- Trouble breathing
- Foam at the nose or mouth
How to Prevent Dry Drowning
There are many ways to prevent water accidents. The American Red Cross recommends the following safety tips to reduce dry drowning:- Ensure every member of your family learns to swim.
- Wear layers of protection, such as a life jacket, especially in large bodies of water and while boating.
- Provide close and constant attention to children you are supervising in or near water.
- Always swim in an area with a lifeguard.
- Know what to do in a water emergency, such as basic first aid skills and CPR.
- Males have about twice the risk of drowning than females, according to the WHO due to riskier behavior, such as drinking alcohol near or in the water. If you have been drinking, avoid engaging in any water-related activities for your safety.
Sources:
World Health Organization
National Institutes of Health
American Red Cross
Medical News Today
Healthline