100 Common EMS Presentations
A curated educational directory of frequently encountered presentations—not an official ranking. Each page combines rapid assessment, vital-sign interpretation, differential diagnosis, management considerations, and handover support.
100 presentations
Abdominal pain
Onset/location. Sudden vs gradual. Migration/radiation.
Abdominal trauma
Mechanism and timing? Pain, tenderness or distension? Seatbelt or penetrating injury?
Acute anxiety / panic symptoms
Trigger and onset? Chest pain, dyspnea or syncope? Prior similar episodes?
Acute visual complaint
Sudden or gradual? One eye or both? Pain, headache or trauma?
Alcohol intoxication
Amount and last drink. Normal pattern. Co-ingestants.
Allergic reaction / anaphylaxis
Trigger and exposure time. Skin findings. Facial/tongue swelling.
Altered LOC / confusion
Last known normal. Cognitive baseline. GCS and trend.
Angioedema
Onset and progression? Tongue, lip or throat involvement? Voice, swallowing and breathing?
Animal bite / envenomation
Animal and time of exposure? Bite location and wound? Swelling progression?
Assault / penetrating trauma
Mechanism/weapon. Number/location of wounds. Blood loss.
Asthma exacerbation
Trigger/duration. Work of breathing. Speaking full sentences?
Back pain
Traumatic or atraumatic? Sudden/gradual. Midline vs muscular.
Behavioural crisis / agitation
Immediate safety risks? Baseline and precipitating event? Medical causes and trauma?
Bleeding while anticoagulated
Bleeding site and estimated amount? Medication, dose and last taken? Trauma or procedure?
Bradycardia
Symptoms and onset? Perfusion and mental status? Rate and rhythm on 12-lead?
Burns
Mechanism/time. Thermal/chemical/electrical. Approximate TBSA/depth.
Carbon monoxide exposure
Source and duration? Others symptomatic? Headache, nausea or confusion?
Cardiac arrest / ROSC
Witnessed? Collapse/downtime. Bystander CPR.
Caregiver breakdown
What changed today? Patient baseline and immediate needs? Caregiver capacity and safety?
Cellulitis / soft-tissue infection
Location and onset? Spread, redness or swelling? Pain out of proportion?
Chemical exposure
Substance and route? Scene decontamination complete? Time and duration?
Chest pain / suspected ACS
Exact onset and activity at onset. Character/location/radiation. Persistent or resolved?
Chest trauma
Mechanism and force? Respiratory distress? Chest-wall findings?
CHF / acute pulmonary edema
Acute vs progressive dyspnea. Orthopnea/PND. Edema/weight gain.
Child welfare / safeguarding concern
Immediate safety? Objective findings and exact statements? Developmental consistency?
Choking / airway foreign body
Complete or partial obstruction? Object/food. Initially able to speak/cough?
Constipation / fecal impaction
Last bowel movement and usual pattern? Pain, distension or vomiting? Passing flatus?
COPD exacerbation
Baseline respiratory status and SpO2/O2. Change from baseline. Increased/change in sputum.
Cough / suspected respiratory infection
Onset and sputum? Fever or infectious exposure? Work of breathing and SpO₂?
Delirium / acute behavioural change
Last known normal and baseline cognition? Fluctuating course? BGL, oxygenation and temperature?
Dialysis complication
Dialysis type and schedule? Last completed session? Access-site concern?
Diarrhea
Duration/frequency. Blood or melena? Abdominal pain.
Dizziness / vertigo
Clarify spinning vs lightheadedness vs imbalance. Sudden/gradual. Exact onset/last known well.
Dysphagia / swallowing difficulty
Sudden or progressive? Solids, liquids or both? Drooling or voice change?
Early-pregnancy pain / bleeding
Gestational age and confirmation? Pain location and onset? Bleeding amount?
Epistaxis
Duration. Still bleeding? Unilateral/bilateral.
Expected death / death verification request
Expected-death plan present? Identity and circumstances confirmed? Goals-of-care documents?
Extremity injury / suspected fracture
Mechanism. Open or closed? Deformity?
Fall
Cause/mechanism? Mechanical vs medical? Head strike?
Fever / suspected infection / sepsis
Suspected source. Duration/max temperature. Current temperature.
Fever in an immunocompromised patient
Immune-suppressing condition or treatment? Temperature and onset? Recent chemotherapy or transplant?
Flank pain / renal colic
Sudden onset. Unilateral? Radiation to groin.
Frailty / geriatric crisis
Baseline cognition and mobility? Acute change and timeline? Falls, intake or medication change?
Functional decline / inability to cope
What changed today? Acute complaint vs progressive decline. Baseline/current mobility and ADLs.
General weakness / malaise
Sudden or gradual? Global vs focal weakness? Baseline function?
GI bleed
Hematemesis, coffee-ground emesis, melena or hematochezia? Amount/frequency. Active bleeding?
Head injury
Mechanism. LOC? Amnesia?
Headache
Sudden or gradual? Thunderclap/maximal at onset? First/worst or different?
Heat / cold exposure
Type/duration of exposure. Environment. Core temp if available.
Hematuria
Gross or microscopic report? Pain, clots or retention? Trauma or procedure?
Hemoptysis
Estimated amount and timing? Airway and respiratory status? Chest pain or fever?
Hip / pelvic injury
Mechanism. Able to weight-bear? Pain location.
Housing insecurity / social crisis
Immediate medical complaint? Exposure, nutrition or medication needs? Safety and vulnerability?
Hyperglycemia / possible DKA-HHS
BGL. Ketones if available. Diabetes type.
Hypertension
BP and trend. Why was it measured/called in? Headache?
Hypoglycemia
Initial BGL. Initial LOC/GCS. Seizure?
Hypotension / shock
BP and trend. Baseline if known. Poor perfusion?
Laceration / external hemorrhage
Location/mechanism. Active bleeding? Approximate blood loss.
Medical device / line problem
Device type and purpose? Dislodged, blocked, leaking or bleeding? When did problem start?
Medication side effect / adverse reaction
Medication and indication? Start date or dose change? Symptoms and temporal relationship?
Mental health / suicidal ideation
Primary concern. Suicidal thoughts? Plan, intent, access to means?
Motor vehicle collision
Collision type/speed. Restrained? Airbag?
Nausea / vomiting
Duration and frequency. Blood/coffee-ground material? Bilious?
Neck injury
Mechanism and energy? Pain and midline tenderness? Neurologic symptoms?
New focal neurologic deficit
Last known well? Exact deficit and side? Speech, gaze and coordination?
Newborn concern
Age in days and gestation? Feeding and wet diapers? Breathing, colour and tone?
Opioid withdrawal
Last opioid and usual use? Symptoms and severity? Vomiting or diarrhea?
Overdose / drug poisoning
Substance(s), amount, route and time. Intentional or accidental? Co-ingestants.
Pacemaker / ICD concern
Device type and indication? Shock, alarm or suspected malfunction? Symptoms before and after event?
Palliative / end-of-life symptom crisis
Primary symptom. Known diagnosis. Goals of care/resuscitation status.
Palpitations / tachyarrhythmia
Sudden onset? Duration. Current rhythm/rate.
Pediatric fever / unwell child
Exact age. Duration/max temp. Appearance/interaction.
Pediatric respiratory distress
Onset. Work of breathing/retractions. Stridor, wheeze, barky cough or crackles.
Pediatric seizure
Age and exact duration? Fever and illness symptoms? Return to baseline?
Pleuritic chest pain
Onset and relation to breathing? Dyspnea or hemoptysis? VTE risk factors?
Poisoning / toxic exposure
Agent, amount/concentration, route and exact time. Intentional vs accidental. Co-exposures.
Post-operative concern
Procedure and date? Expected recovery instructions? Pain, bleeding, fever or dyspnea?
Postpartum complication
Delivery date and type? Bleeding amount and clots? Pain, fever or headache?
Pregnancy / labour
Gestational age, gravida/para, due date. Contraction frequency/duration. Membranes ruptured - when/fluid colour.
Rash / skin eruption
Onset and progression? Itch, pain or blistering? Mucosal involvement?
Seizure
First seizure or known disorder? Witnessed? Duration?
Sexual assault disclosure
Immediate safety and medical needs? Patient preferences and consent? Timing without unnecessary detail?
Shortness of breath - undifferentiated
Sudden or gradual? Degree of distress. SpO2 on room air and now.
Sickle cell pain crisis
Usual crisis pattern? Pain location and severity? Chest pain, fever or dyspnea?
Soft-tissue injury / sprain
Mechanism? Location and pain? Swelling or deformity?
Stimulant toxicity
Substance, amount and timing? Chest pain or palpitations? Temperature and agitation?
Stridor / upper-airway obstruction
Sudden or gradual onset? Voice change, drooling or dysphagia? Allergen or foreign-body exposure?
Stroke / TIA
Exact last-known-well. First deficit noticed. Face/arm/leg weakness, speech, vision, neglect/ataxia.
Submersion / drowning
Estimated submersion time. Witnessed? Water type/temp.
Suspected adrenal crisis
Known adrenal insufficiency? Steroid use or missed dose? Vomiting, pain or infection?
Suspected electrolyte disorder
Known abnormal result? Weakness, confusion or palpitations? Renal or endocrine history?
Suspected sepsis
Suspected source? Onset and infectious symptoms? Mental status and perfusion?
Suspected spinal injury
Mechanism? Pain and level? Motor, sensory and CSM findings?
Syncope / presyncope
Complete LOC or near-syncope? Preceding symptoms? Exertional?
Transplant patient complication
Transplant type and date? Presenting symptom and onset? Anti-rejection medications?
Tremor / movement disorder
New or baseline? Focal or generalized? Medication timing or recent change?
Uncontrolled palliative symptoms
Goals of care and documented plan? Primary symptom and severity? Expected vs unexpected change?
Unilateral swollen/red/painful leg
Acute vs chronic. Unilateral swelling, redness, warmth. Calf/thigh pain.
Urinary complaint / UTI / retention
Dysuria/frequency. Unable to void? Last urination.
Vaginal bleeding / gynecologic emergency
Pregnancy possible/confirmed? Gestational age. Amount/pads/clots.