VOA慢速英语20061004a

HEALTH REPORT - Recognizing Medical EmergenciesBy Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Wednesday, October 04, 2006

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.


The Red Cross

Medical emergencies are not always easy to recognize. Yet any delay in emergency treatment could mean the difference between life and death or permanent disability.

The American College of Emergency Physicians is a professional group for doctors who work in hospital emergency departments. It says everyone should know the warning signs of a medical emergency.

One is a sudden or severe pain that does not go away. This includes pain in the stomach, chest or head. A severe headache, worse than anything you have ever felt, could mean bleeding in the head from a broken artery¹.

Severe stomach pain could be a sign of appendicitis². Severe chest or back pain could signal a heart attack.

Another warning sign of a medical emergency is difficulty breathing. This could mean a heart condition. Or there could be a hole or blockage³ in a lung.

Mental changes are also warning signs. A person who suddenly loses memory or thinking abilities could be suffering a stroke or serious infection.

Sudden changes in speech or not being able to see clearly are two other reasons to seek emergency care. Other warning signs include losing consciousness⁴ or becoming dizzy and weak.

Uncontrolled bleeding from any wound also calls for professional care. So does coughing or vomiting⁵ blood.

The American College of Emergency Physicians notes that children can show different signs of medical problems than adults. A child might be too young to describe the problem. Yet symptoms that are not as serious for an adult may be more serious for a child.

There is also advice about what to do if you ever need care at an emergency department. One suggestion is to bring a list of any medicines you take and any allergies⁶ you have. Are you allergic⁷ to any foods or insects? Do you get a bad reaction to any medications or other products? The doctors group offers medical history forms on its Web site, acep.org.

Also, you should know your history of vaccines⁸ or the immunizations a child has had against diseases. And, the doctors say, remain clam⁹. That can help increase communication with doctors and nurses at the hospital.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You can find other health information and advice at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。

2 appendicitis   

n.阑尾炎，盲肠炎

参考例句：

• He came down with appendicitis.他得了阑尾炎。
• Acute appendicitis usually develops without relation to the ingestion of food.急性阑尾炎的发生通常与饮食无关。

3 blockage   

n.障碍物；封锁

参考例句：

• The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
• If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。

4 consciousness   

n.意识，觉悟，知觉

参考例句：

• The experience helped to change her social consciousness.这种经验有助于改变她的社会意识。
• He lost consciousness at the first whiff of ether.他一嗅到乙醚便失去了知觉。

5 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

6 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

7 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

8 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

9 clam   

n.蛤，蛤肉

参考例句：

• Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀！我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
• The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。