Читать книгу Essential Guide to Acute Care - Nicola Cooper - Страница 20

History, examination, differential diagnosis followed by treatment will not immediately help someone who is critically ill. Diagnosis is irrelevant when the things that kill first are literally A (airway compromise), B (breathing problems), and C (circulation problems) – in that order. What the patient needs is resuscitation not deliberation. Patients can be alert and ‘look’ well from the end of the bed, but the clue is often in objective vital signs and key test results. Box 1.2 summarises the physiological and biochemical markers of severe illness. A common theme in studies is the inability of hospital staff to recognise when a patient is at risk of deterioration, even when these abnormalities are documented.