Emergency Care

Emergency conditions we treat

Our emergency room is fully equipped and prepared to handle a broad range of medical crises, both minor and major, thanks to facilities like radiology, diagnostic testing, in-house labs, neurosurgery, intensive care, and both surgical and cardiac care. Our ER team is skilled in addressing various urgent health issues, such as:

• Breathing difficulties: This includes conditions like asthma flare-ups, serious allergic reactions, and cases of pulmonary embolism.
• Burns: Urgent attention is needed for burns that are deep, cover a large area, or affect sensitive regions like the face, hands, feet, or genitals.
• Dehydration or heat stroke: Indicators of heat stroke include excessive thirst, no urine output, or changes in mental state.
• Fractures and major sprains: These conditions are especially concerning if there’s noticeable distortion, intense pain, numbness, or loss of function in the affected area.
• Heart attack symptoms: This includes chest discomfort, difficulty breathing, and pain in other upper body areas.
• High fever: High fevers are particularly critical in babies, young children, the elderly, or those with compromised immune systems.
• Intense headaches/migraines: If your headache starts suddenly, is extremely painful, or comes with symptoms like vision changes or neck stiffness, visit an ER.
• Mental health crises: This includes thoughts or acts of suicide or harming others, extreme panic attacks, or episodes of psychosis.
• Obstetric complications: This can include significant bleeding during pregnancy, intense abdominal pain, or indications of early labor.
• Poisoning or overdose: This may involve the accidental intake of harmful substances or misuse of medications, whether prescription or over-the-counter.
• Seizures: Especially if it’s a first occurrence, or the seizures are frequent or prolonged, patients should visit an ER.
• Severe abdominal pain: This includes pain that could signal conditions like appendicitis, abdominal aneurysms, or other critical issues.
• Serious infections: Examples include sepsis, severe pneumonia, and critical urinary tract infections.
• Stroke symptoms: This includes sudden weakness or numbness in part of the body, confusion, speech difficulties, vision issues, or loss of balance or coordination.
• Trauma or severe injuries: Injuries resulting from car accidents, falls, or major head trauma should be addressed at an ER.
• Uncontrolled bleeding: This includes situations where bleeding persists despite 10 minutes of direct pressure.

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms or conditions, please dial 911 immediately.

Our Level IV trauma center

We’re a certified Level IV trauma center by the state of Texas because of our ability to deliver exceptional advanced trauma life support (ATLS). This includes rapid evaluation, stabilization and diagnostic capabilities for sick and injured patients, along with the ability to stabilize and transfer to a higher level of trauma care, if necessary. 

At UT Health Carthage, all elements are in place to treat your emergency condition, including:

• Diagnostic services featuring X-ray, ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) with iDose radiation reduction, and other imaging modalities when needed
• Laboratory services on-site
• Multiple crash carts, including a pediatric crash cart
• Physicians and nurses with specialized trauma training, advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) certification and pediatric advanced life support (PALS) certification so that patients can receive immediate and appropriate care
• The ability to monitor and stabilize heart attack and stroke patients
• Transfer to UT Health Tyler Level 1 trauma center, if a higher level of care is needed.
• Two trauma treatment rooms and four emergency treatment rooms

Please call us to learn more about our ER services.

What to expect at our ER

Upon arrival, each patient undergoes a process called triage. This process, conducted by our triage nurses at the front desk, categorizes patients based on the severity of their conditions into immediately life-threatening, urgent but not life-threatening, and less urgent.

Our ER wait times typically fall below the national average, but it’s important to understand that these times can vary greatly depending on what’s happening at our ER that day. Our primary focus in the ER is to save lives, so if a patient with a life-threatening condition arrives, they may be prioritized. This approach is different from that of urgent care or standard medical appointments, as our ER operates on a need-based system rather than a first-come-first-served basis.

After triage, the check-in process includes an assessment of your vital signs. Then an emergency medicine physician will delve deeper into your condition. This stage often involves coordinating with multiple specialists, such as radiologists, general surgeons, neurologists, gastroenterologists, and others who contribute remotely by analyzing diagnostic reports and advising our emergency team.

In terms of treatment outcomes, you may be admitted for further care, discharged with instructions, referred to a primary care physician, or transferred to another facility. Our ER focuses on treating emergent, urgent, and traumatic conditions and does not typically prescribe narcotics for chronic issues.

When to go to the ER

Below are symptoms of of life-threatening or critical emergencies that indicate an ER visit is necessary:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Coughing or vomiting blood
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Heart attack
• Heavy or uncontrollable bleeding
• Seizures
• Sudden confusion
• Sudden or excessive pain
• Sudden vision changes
• Suicidal thoughts
• Unconsciousness
• Upper abdominal pain or pressure

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, call 911.

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