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When to seek emergency care

Summary

Call 911 for anything life-threatening: uncontrolled bleeding, trouble breathing, chest pain or pressure, sudden confusion, fainting, sudden one-sided weakness, trouble speaking or seeing, poisoning, or thoughts of suicide. For stroke or heart attack, call rather than drive, and note when symptoms started.

General information, not medical advice. See a clinician about your own situation; in an emergency call 911 (US).

Facts

• id: F1 claim: Adult warning signs (per ACEP, via MedlinePlus) include uncontrolled bleeding, breathing problems, chest pain lasting 2+ minutes, confusion, fainting, choking, coughing or vomiting blood, sudden severe pain, sudden dizziness/weakness/vision change, poisoning, and facial or tongue swelling. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F2 claim: Stroke signs are sudden: face/arm/leg numbness or weakness (especially one side), confusion or trouble speaking/understanding, trouble seeing, trouble walking or balance loss, or severe headache with no known cause; call 911 right away. confidence: high date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S2, S1] license: CC BY 4.0 note: MedlinePlus list overlaps (sudden dizziness, weakness, vision change, inability to speak); CDC is the fuller source.
• id: F3 claim: For a suspected stroke, call 911 instead of driving, and note when symptoms began; the best treatments require diagnosis within 3 hours. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S2] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F4 claim: Stroke symptoms that go away within minutes may be a TIA ("mini-stroke"), which still needs prompt medical attention. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S2] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F5 claim: Heart attack signs include chest pain or pressure lasting more than a few minutes or coming back, weakness or light-headedness, jaw/neck/back or arm/shoulder pain, and shortness of breath; women more often also have unusual tiredness or nausea. Call 911 immediately. confidence: high date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S3, S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F6 claim: COVID-19 emergency signs: trouble breathing, persistent chest pain or pressure, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or pale/gray/blue lips, nail beds, or skin. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S4] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F7 claim: Call 911 rather than drive when the condition is or could become life-threatening, moving the person could injure them, paramedic skills are needed, or travel would delay care. confidence: high date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1, S2] license: CC BY 4.0 note: CDC states the call-not-drive rule for stroke specifically.
• id: F8 claim: Dehydration with confusion, fainting, no urination, or rapid heartbeat or breathing needs medical help right away. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S5] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F9 claim: In the US, someone thinking about harming themselves can call or text 988. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0

Pointers

• answers: Full official guidance beyond this summary where: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001927.htm; https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/signs-symptoms/index.html; https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/heart-attack.html; https://www.cdc.gov/covid/signs-symptoms/index.html; https://medlineplus.gov/dehydration.html access: open, no account

For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/when-to-seek-emergency-care.md.