Quick answer
The ten medical emergencies you are most likely to meet in Australia are heart attack, seizure, poisoning, heavy bleeding, breathing difficulty, heat stroke, fracture, electric shock, bites and stings, and eye injury. For every one of them the first three moves are the same: check it is safe to approach, call Triple Zero (000) if the person is seriously unwell, and do not leave them alone. This page is the short version of each — with a link to the full guide where we have one.
If you are in any doubt, call 000. You will never be in trouble for calling. Emergency call takers would far rather talk you through something minor than have you wait on something that is not.
Most people will witness a serious medical emergency a handful of times in their life, almost always without warning and usually somewhere inconvenient. What makes the difference is not paramedic-level skill — it is recognising what you are looking at quickly enough to make the right call.
Below are the ten most common medical emergencies, what each one actually looks like, and the first thing to do. Where we have written a full step-by-step guide, it is linked from that section.
The ten at a glance
| Emergency | The sign that matters | First move |
|---|---|---|
| Heart attack | Chest pain or pressure, often spreading to arm, neck or jaw | Rest them, call 000 if severe, worsening or over 10 minutes |
| Seizure | Collapse with stiffening or jerking | Protect the head, time it, do not restrain |
| Poisoning | Swallowed, inhaled or spilled something | 13 11 26 if awake and stable, 000 if not |
| Heavy bleeding | Blood soaking through, or spurting | Firm direct pressure, and keep it there |
| Breathing difficulty | Struggling for air, blue lips, cannot speak in sentences | Sit them up, their own reliever or adrenaline, call 000 |
| Heat stroke | Hot skin and confusion | Call 000 and start cooling immediately |
| Fracture | Pain over a bone, deformity, cannot use it | Keep still, immobilise, never realign |
| Electric shock | Contact with a source, may still be connected | Power off first. Do not touch them |
| Bites and stings | Puncture marks, spreading pain, collapse | Depends entirely on what bit them — see below |
| Eye injury | Chemical splash, impact or something embedded | Flush chemicals for 15 minutes; never remove an embedded object |
1. Heart attack
Full guide: heart attack warning signs and first aid
What it looks like: pain, pressure or tightness in the chest, often spreading to the arm, neck, jaw, shoulder or back. Also shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, dizziness, pale skin and unexplained fatigue. It can happen with no chest pain at all — in which case breathlessness is the most common sign.
What to do: have them stop and rest. Call 000 if the pain is severe, is getting worse, or has lasted more than 10 minutes. Help them take their own prescribed angina medication as directed. If they become unresponsive and are not breathing normally, start CPR.
About aspirin. Australian first aid guidance suggests 300 mg of aspirin for an adult with non-traumatic chest pain unless they have a known aspirin allergy — but it grades this a weak recommendation, and calling 000 matters far more. Never give aspirin for a suspected stroke, where it can be life-threatening. If you are not certain which you are looking at, ask the 000 call taker.
2. Seizure
Full guide: seizure first aid
What it looks like: sudden collapse, stiffening, jerking of the limbs, and often a period of confusion afterwards. Some seizures are subtler — staring, unresponsiveness, odd repeated movements.
What to do: protect their head with something soft, clear hard objects away, and time it. Do not restrain them and never put anything in their mouth. When the jerking stops, roll them into the recovery position. Call 000 if it lasts more than 5 minutes, if another follows immediately, if it is their first seizure, if they were injured, or if they do not wake up properly.
3. Poisoning and swallowed substances
Full guide: poisoning first aid and when to call 13 11 26
What it looks like: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, drowsiness or confusion — but often nothing at all early on, which is exactly why you do not wait.
What to do: get them to spit out anything still in their mouth and rinse it with water. If they are awake and breathing normally, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 — free, 24 hours, nationwide. If they are drowsy, vomiting, seizing or unconscious, call 000. Keep the container. Never try to make them vomit, and never give anything to neutralise it.
4. Heavy bleeding
Full guide: how to stop severe bleeding
What it looks like: blood soaking through a dressing, spurting, or not slowing with pressure. Watch for shock — pale, cool, clammy skin, a fast weak pulse, confusion.
What to do: firm, direct, continuous pressure straight on the wound, with your hands first and then through a pad. Lie them down and call 000. If blood soaks through, add one more pad and bandage it tighter — not a pile of loose pads on top. Do not raise the limb: Australian guidance no longer recommends elevating a bleeding part. Never pull out anything embedded.
5. Breathing difficulty
What it looks like: gasping, wheezing, blue lips, unable to speak a full sentence, or using neck and shoulder muscles to breathe. In a child, watch for the skin sucking in between the ribs.
What to do: sit them upright — never lie them flat. If they have their own reliever puffer or adrenaline autoinjector, help them use it. Call 000. Two specific causes have their own guides: asthma first aid and anaphylaxis first aid. If the problem is a blocked airway, see choking first aid. If they stop breathing normally, start CPR.
6. Heat stroke
Full guide: heat stroke and heat exhaustion
What it looks like: the line is confusion. Heat exhaustion is pale, clammy and sweating with someone who still makes sense. Heat stroke is red, hot skin — often dry — with confusion, slurred speech, poor coordination or collapse, and a body temperature above 40°C.
What to do: for heat stroke, call 000 and start cooling immediately — shade, strip excess clothing, wet the skin and fan continuously, ice packs to the neck, groin and armpits. Do not wait for the ambulance to start. Give nothing by mouth if they are drowsy or confused.
7. Fractures and sprains
Full guide: fracture and sprain first aid: RICER
What it looks like: pain or tenderness over a bone, swelling, deformity, bruising, loss of function — and sometimes they felt or heard it go.
What to do: keep them still, control any bleeding, and immobilise with a padded splint secured above and below the break. Check circulation beyond the injury every 15 minutes. Never try to force a broken or dislocated bone back into place. For sprains and strains, follow RICER and avoid HARM.
8. Electric shock
What it looks like: burns at entry and exit points, muscle spasm that stops them letting go, confusion, or collapse. The visible burn is often the least of it — the real risk is to the heart rhythm.
What to do: do not touch the person while they may still be in contact with the current. Switch the power off at the switch or the mains. Only if that is impossible and it is safe should you use a dry, non-conductive object such as a dry wooden broom handle to separate them from the source.
- Fallen powerlines: stay at least 8 metres away and assume the line is live. Do not attempt a rescue until the electricity provider has confirmed it is de-energised.
- Call 000 and tell them there are downed cables, then report it to your electricity distributor.
- Cool any burns under cool running water for up to 20 minutes — see burns and scalds first aid.
- Always get an electrical injury assessed, even if they feel fine afterwards.
9. Bites and stings
Full guide: snake and spider bite first aid
What it looks like: puncture marks that may be faint scratches, swelling, spreading pain — or, with envenomation, headache, nausea, blurred vision, breathing difficulty and collapse.
What to do — and it depends entirely on what bit them:
- Snake or funnel-web spider: call 000, keep them completely still, and apply a pressure immobilisation bandage over the bite and then the whole limb, then splint it. Do not wash the bite.
- Redback spider and most others: the opposite — a cold pack, no pressure bandage.
- Bee, wasp or ant sting: remove the sting, cold pack, and watch for anaphylaxis.
10. Eye injury
What it looks like: pain, watering, redness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, or an obvious foreign body.
What to do:
- Chemical splash: flood the eye with saline, contact lens solution or cool running water for 15 minutes, holding the eyelids open, then get medical help. This one is genuinely time-critical.
- Something embedded: do not remove it. Do not rub the eye. Cover it lightly without pressing and go to hospital.
- Loose grit or dust: blink, or flush gently with saline or clean water. If it will not shift, get it looked at.
- Blunt impact: cold compress without pressure, and medical assessment if there is any vision change, blood in the eye or persistent pain.
What applies to all ten
DRSABCD, every time
Whatever the emergency, the sequence is the same: Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR, Defibrillation. It exists so you do not have to think of it under pressure. See the DRSABCD action plan.
What the 000 call taker will ask
- Which service — say “ambulance”
- Where you are — the single most useful thing you can have ready
- What has happened, in one plain sentence
- The person’s age, and whether they are conscious and breathing
Then stay on the line. See what to say when you call an ambulance.
In nine of these ten emergencies, the person may not be able to tell anyone what they take or what they are allergic to.
A MedibandPlus profile carries the conditions, medications, allergies and emergency contacts a paramedic needs — in seconds, without needing the patient to speak.
Store your conditions, medications and emergency contacts — explore MedibandPlusPart of the Mediband family. Designed in Australia since 2004.
Related reading: how to use a defibrillator, signs of stroke and the FAST test, and how to set up your emergency contacts. If you or someone you care for has a condition a responder should know about, you can create your emergency profile in a few minutes.
Medical emergencies FAQs
What are the most common medical emergencies?
The ones you are most likely to encounter in Australia are heart attack, seizure, poisoning, heavy bleeding, breathing difficulty, heat stroke, fracture, electric shock, bites and stings, and eye injury. For all of them the first three steps are the same: make sure it is safe to approach, call Triple Zero (000) if the person is seriously unwell, and stay with them.
What is the first thing to do in any medical emergency?
Check for danger to yourself before you approach, then check whether the person responds. If they are seriously unwell, unconscious, or you are simply unsure, call 000. Follow DRSABCD: Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR, Defibrillation. It exists so you do not have to make decisions under pressure.
Should you give aspirin in a suspected heart attack?
Australian guidance suggests 300 mg of aspirin for an adult with non-traumatic chest pain unless they have a known aspirin allergy, but grades it a weak recommendation, so calling 000 matters far more. Critically, never give aspirin for a suspected stroke, where roughly one in five is caused by bleeding and aspirin can be life-threatening. If you cannot tell which you are looking at, ask the 000 call taker.
Should you raise a bleeding arm or leg?
No. Australian resuscitation guidance says there is no evidence that elevating a bleeding limb helps control bleeding, and that it can cause more pain or injury if the limb is also fractured. Use firm direct pressure instead, and if blood soaks through, add one more pad bandaged tighter rather than piling loose pads on top.
When do you call 13 11 26 instead of 000?
Call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 when someone may have swallowed, inhaled or touched something harmful but is awake, alert and breathing normally, including when you are just not sure. Call 000 instead if they are drowsy, unconscious, seizing, vomiting persistently or struggling to breathe.
What should you never do at an electric shock?
Never touch the person while they may still be in contact with the current. Switch the power off at the switch or mains first, and only use a dry non-conductive object such as a dry wooden broom handle to separate them if turning the power off is impossible and it is safe to do so. With fallen powerlines, stay at least 8 metres away, assume the line is live, and wait for the electricity provider to confirm it is de-energised.
Will I get in trouble for calling an ambulance unnecessarily?
No. Emergency call takers are trained to assess the situation and would much rather answer a call that turns out to be minor than miss one that is not. If it turns out to be urgent but not an emergency, they can also direct you to a 24-hour nurse advice line.
Sources
- ANZCOR — Basic life support guidelines — the resuscitation guidance underlying DRSABCD, airway management and choking.
- ANZCOR Guideline 9.1.1 — Bleeding — direct pressure, and the position against elevating a bleeding limb.
- St John — Electric shock — isolating the power, non-conductive separation, and the 8-metre rule for fallen powerlines.
- healthdirect — Emergencies — recognising an emergency, and the 24-hour nurse advice line.
- Triple Zero (000) — when and how to call Australia’s emergency number. Poisons Information Centre, 13 11 26.
Disclaimer: This article is general first aid information, not medical advice or a substitute for accredited first aid training. In an emergency, always call Triple Zero (000), or the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26. For non-urgent health advice, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (NURSE-ON-CALL 1300 60 60 24 in Victoria, 13 HEALTH 13 43 25 84 in Queensland) or speak with your GP. Never start, stop or change a medication on the basis of a web page. MedibandPlus stores and provides access to a member’s own medical information; it does not assess, diagnose or treat any condition.
The full guides
