An illness or a severe injury that can pose an immediate risk to a patient’s life is classed as a medical emergency.
These incidents can be related to gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory conditions or external traumas that involve internal damage and blood loss. By definition, these conditions are not able to be self-treated and require the assistance of medical professionals who can include first aiders, paramedics, emergency physicians, and anesthesiologists.
With any medical emergency, from recognizing the problem of getting to a hospital, one of most critical factors to prevent further damage and deterioration is time.
Not all delays can be considered but having an efficient and effective working environment can save crucial seconds when it really matters.

What do they do?
The use of medical emergency carts has been a breakthrough in treating emergency situations. Having everything that a clinician needs, right at their fingertips is not only time saving, but also life- saving. The proper, orderly storage of emergency medicines and disposables is crucial to offer effective care.
Is there a recommended configuration?
The configuration of medical emergency carts can be completely customized to match the specific needs of the individual hospital, department or even physician. A medical emergency cart configured for an adult may well be different to that used for pediatric purposes. Surgical services will have different needs to a medical service.
This flexibility allows the appropriate materials and kit to be available exactly when it is needed and will be sufficient to cover the requirements for most emergency events.
Top drawers
The top drawers of a medical emergency cart will often contain essential medicines. In an emergent situation, these need to be accessed and administered as quickly as possible. They are offered in a way that makes measuring and dispensing as efficient as possible.
Middle drawers
Equipment required for intubations is commonly held in the middle drawers. There will often be a separate drawer for adult and pediatric intubation kits.

The next drawer down will often be stocked with equipment required for starting intravenous lines. These may be separate from the materials needed for maintaining an IV, such as fluids.
Bottom drawer
The bottom drawer is a good place to keep everything needed for general procedures and will contain pre-packaged kits for both urgent and emergent situations.
Final Thoughts
Having all of this kit in one place with every emergency situation enables the level of patient care to be significantly increased by delays in finding the required equipment significantly reduced.
Medical emergency carts also come with the capacity to install a fully functioning computer system for accessing patient records, updating the EMR systems or even viewing x-rays without leaving the trauma room or patient’s bedside. You don’t need to use a centralized computer station but can bring the system to wherever it is needed.
To improve your patient care, staff efficiency and treatment time, medical emergency carts are an essential addition.