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Emergency —108·112

Dr. Poonam SekhonMBBS · MEM
Public service

What to do before help arrives

12 free guides written by a practising emergency physician. Each one covers the steps that matter, the warning signs that mean call an ambulance now, and the well-meant myths that actively cause harm.

Reading is not the first step in an emergency.If someone is seriously unwell right now, call an ambulance first, then read.

108Ambulance112All emergencies
01Heart and circulation

Cardiac

Cardiac4 min

Heart Attack & Chest Pain

Crushing central chest pain lasting more than a few minutes is a medical emergency until proven otherwise. Heart muscle dies every minute you wait.

Read the guide
Cardiac5 min

CPR for Cardiac Arrest

If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, their heart has stopped. Chest compressions started by a bystander can double or triple their chance of survival.

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02Brain and nervous system

Neurological

Neurological4 min

Stroke — Recognise It With BE-FAST

A stroke is a brain attack. Clot-busting treatment works only within a narrow window, so the time symptoms began is the most important fact you can carry to hospital.

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Neurological4 min

Seizures & Fits

Most seizures stop on their own within two minutes. Your job is to protect the head, time it, and keep everything out of their mouth.

Read the guide
03Breathing and obstruction

Airway

Airway4 min

Choking — Adults, Children & Infants

A completely blocked airway leaves only minutes. The technique differs for adults, small children and babies, and using the wrong one on an infant causes serious injury.

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04Injury and bleeding

Trauma

Trauma4 min

Severe Bleeding & Deep Wounds

Uncontrolled bleeding can kill within minutes. Firm, direct, uninterrupted pressure is what stops it — not antiseptic, not elevation alone, and rarely a tourniquet.

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Trauma5 min

Road Accidents & Suspected Spinal Injury

India loses more people to road crashes than almost anywhere in the world, and bystanders reach the scene long before an ambulance. Careless movement of a spine-injured casualty can cause permanent paralysis.

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05Severe allergic reactions

Allergy

Allergy4 min

Anaphylaxis & Severe Allergic Reaction

Anaphylaxis can close the airway within minutes. Adrenaline into the outer thigh is the only treatment that reverses it, and it must not be delayed.

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06Heat, burns and bites

Environmental

Environmental4 min

Burns & Scalds

Twenty minutes of cool running water is the single most effective burn treatment there is, and it still helps up to three hours after the injury.

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Environmental5 min

Snakebite

India records more snakebite deaths than any country on earth, and most are preventable. Antivenom in a hospital is the only treatment. Everything done at the roadside is about not making it worse.

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Environmental4 min

Heat Stroke & Heat Exhaustion

Heat stroke is a true emergency in which the body's temperature control fails. Confusion in a hot, collapsed person means cool them aggressively, right now.

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07Poisons and overdose

Toxicology

Toxicology4 min

Poisoning & Overdose

Whether accidental in a child or deliberate in an adult, the priority is the same: get to hospital fast, take the container with you, and do not make them vomit.

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These guides do not replace medical care

They are written for the minutes before professional help arrives, and are general in nature. They cannot account for your particular circumstances, existing conditions or medications. Always follow the instructions of the emergency services and the clinicians treating you.