Peggy learns about emergency medicine when she accompanies paramedics on a rescue mission. Lay people call it injury. Regardless of the term used, it represents the leading cause of death for people under the age of 44. Every six minutes, an American dies from an injury.
Automobile accidents are the leading cause, with alcohol a frequent contributing factor.
Other major causes include guns, fire, falls, and drowning. The medical response to trauma often begins with a call to 911, the emergency response phone system. Paramedics stabilize and transport the victim to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible. Blood, secretions, false teeth, food, vomit, or other obstructions in the victim's airway must be cleared first. If the patient is not breathing adequately, technicians perform artificial respiration.