Emergency Urgent Care: When to Go to an ER: Pulmonary Care
The pulmonary system, also referred to as the respiratory system, is an organ system consisting of a number of organs and structures used for breathing. At the core of the human respiratory system are the lungs, whose main function is to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide from the blood. When this system is healthy and running smoothly as it should, you rarely give it a thought. However, when you encounter issues, then not only will you know about it, you may also find it hard to function normally during the day, or even sleep at night. As per the subject matter experts over at the excellent frontlineer.com, there are a number of issues that can afflict the pulmonary system, some serious and potentially life-threatening, others not. This means that some may require immediate treatment at an ER while others can wait and you can be able to book and appointment with your personal doctor, or even head over to an urgent care clinic if you must. It is important therefore to know the instances when you need to go to an ER for pulmonary care, so that you can get the emergency urgent care you need and don’t end up suffering unwanted consequences, which may even include death. This article will look to help with that by highlighting when you should go to an ER for pulmonary care.
One of the most common pulmonary issues out there is asthma. While it may not always be a medical emergency, there are instances when you need to go to an ER such as the highly rated frontlineer.com, to be attended to. You should head over to an ER for pulmonary care if you are having an asthma attack that isn’t responding to your asthma medication, and your symptoms are getting worse. You should also do the same if you are experiencing severe difficulties in breathing such as shortness of breath and severe wheezing. If you notice blood in your sputum when you cough, you should also head over to an ER as soon as you can for emergency urgent care. Children may present with a blue tinge on their skin or a visible tugging of their skin on their ribs when they breathe, which should also be a sign that you need to rush them to an ER for pulmonary care.
Bronchitis is yet another common condition of the respiratory system and as far as it is concerned, there are a number of signs to look out for that indicate that you need to go to an ER for pulmonary care. One of them is if you notice drastic changes in your body temperature, meaning your body temperature dramatically plunges below 95 degrees Fahrenheit or goes above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. You should also head over to an ER like the excellent frontlineer.com if you have bronchitis and you are experiencing difficulties breathing which include your lips or fingertips turning blue or if you get tired when breathing since you have to work so hard just to breathe. These are signs that you need to go to an ER for pulmonary care. You should also do the same if you develop a rapid heart rate, become confused or develop severe dizzy spells among other warning signs. Another condition that may require you to go to an ER for pulmonary care is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, which is one of the most common breathing disorders out there. Warning signs that you need to go to an ER for pulmonary care as far as COPD is concerned include if you are in the red zone according to the COPD action plan you came up with your doctor, you are becoming increasingly reliant on rescue medicine which is a sign that your COPD is getting worse, among others.
If you have lung cancer, all the warning signs mentioned above such as difficulties breathing, chest pain, coughing up blood, dizzy spells and confusion apply and you should head over to an ER for pulmonary care if you are presenting with any of them. However, you should also keep a close eye on your body temperature and fever if you have lung cancer, especially if you are undergoing chemotherapy treatment, as discussed in detail over at the excellent frontlineer.com. This is because folks undergoing chemotherapy treatment for their lung cancer have a weakened immune system and are likely to get an infection, which may quickly progress to sepsis as far as they are concerned which is life-threatening. It is important to head over to an ER for pulmonary care if you spike a fever and you have lung cancer, especially if you are undergoing chemo. Speaking of weakened immune system, if you are presenting with any symptoms of respiratory distress such as difficulties breathing, chest pain, coughing up blood, a fever and many others, and you have a chronic condition compromising your immune system such as HIV/AIDS, then you need to go to an ER as soon as possible for pulmonary care as well.
As ever, if you are looking for more information on this and other related topics, then head over to the highly rated frontlineer.com, which is where you will also have access to the best emergency urgent care services around if you are ever in need.
