What You Need to Know About Going to the ER

Whenever an illness or injury occurs, you need to decide how serious it is and how soon to get medical care. You basically have three options. You can call your health care provider and get an appointment, go to an urgent care center, or head to the emergency room.

The answer boils down to one main question: how quickly do you need care?
Heading to an urgent care center with some conditions will immediately prompt referral to an emergency. The precious minutes lost during the referral and transfer process, can mean the difference between life and death. There is too much at stake to make such a mistake so you should know when to choose an emergency room over an urgent care center.

Although the two facilities are both intended to be used for emergencies, the levels of care provided are different. The emergency room provides more comprehensive care and addresses serious life-threatening conditions while urgent care centers are meant for non-life-threatening conditions.

Conditions that indicate a trip to the ER
Emergency rooms do not take appointments and may have extended wait times. You should only go there for severe conditions when waiting would be dangerous. According to WebMD, some such situations might be:
• Vehicular accidents with major injuries
• Unconsciousness
• Chest pain
• Stroke symptoms
• Weakness of an arm or leg or face drooping
• Difficulty breathing
• Deep cuts with bleeding that doesn’t stop after
10 minutes
• Seizures
• Poisoning
• Head trauma/concussion
• Allergic reactions and insect bite reactions
• Asthma attack
• Bone fractures
• Vomiting or coughing blood

Emergency Services at Manatee Memorial Hospital
Manatee Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Care Center (ECC) plays an essential role in caring for the urgent health needs of our community, treating more than 80,000 children and adult patients each year. We opened a new Emergency Care Center in 2018 to help accommodate Manatee County’s growing population. The center is just under 33,000 square feet, making it the largest and newest Emergency Care Center in the county.

Heart Attack Care
Manatee Memorial Hospital is proud to be an Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI and Resuscitation by the American College of Cardiology and to have received the Mission: Lifeline® Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association® for the sixth year in a row.

The faster a heart attack patient receives artery-clearing intervention, the better their chance of survival and recovery. The ECC coordinates with Manatee County EMS to speed assessment and intervention. The ECC staff is alerted by radio and ready to act quickly when the patient arrives.

Emergency intervention for heart attacks is coordinated with cardiologists, radiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons. Manatee Memorial has been reported to have one of the country’s lowest mortality rates for heart attacks, and the providers are known for their success in this area.

Depending on the type and severity of the heart attack, the cardiac team takes patients from the ECC directly to a catheterization lab to administer treatments to clear blocked arteries and restore blood and oxygen flow to damaged heart tissue. A cardiac team and fully equipped cardiac catheterization suite is available 24 hours a day. Patients are rapidly evaluated, and a course of treatment is begun.

Dr. Teresa Rowe
Medical Director for emergency medicine

Teresa W. Rawe, D.O., has been the medical director for emergency medicine at Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton since 2012.

Dr. Rawe graduated from Manatee High School and received her chemistry degree from the University of South Florida. She received her Doctor of Osteopathy degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Miami in 1988 and has worked in Florida hospitals her entire career. She has been a staff emergency physician at Manatee Memorial since 1998.

Born and raised in Bradenton, Dr. Rawe has been an active participant in the community by serving on several local committees and boards. Dr. Rawe is an active member of the American Osteopathic Association, American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, American Academy of Physician Specialists, Florida Osteopathic Medical Association, and Sigma Sigma Phi.

 

Manatee Memorial Hospital
5506 14th Street West,
Bradenton, Florida 34207
manateememorial.com