Emergency Specialities

MetroSouth Medical Center is ready serve the communities of Chicago's Southland by caring for their emergencies.  Residents of Blue Island, Alsip, Midlothian, Oak Forest, Beverly, Morgan Park and surrounding areas should take comfort in the availability of board-certified emergency medicine specialists at MetroSouth Medical Center.

While we treat the full range of emergencies, we offer specialized services to treat the following  conditions:

Chest pain - MetroSouth Medical Center is known throughout the Chicago area for excellence in treating heart disease.  Our chest pain center insures if you or a loved one arrives at at MetroSouth Medical Center with heart-attack related symptoms, including chest pain, you will be quickly diagnosed and then treated.  We offer stress testing, CT scans, ultrasound and other diagnositic services to make diagnosis faster and more accurate.

Asthma – MetroSouth Medical Center’s experts can quickly get your breathing under control and refer you to a specialist who can optimally manage your condition to prevent future emergencies.

• Asthma clinic- After treatment in the emergency department, asthma sufferers can see a skilled physician in MetroSouth Medical Center’s asthma clinic who will work with the patient to determine the most effective course of long-term treatment.
• Breathing machine - Often called a respirator or artificial breathing machine, this device is often prescribed to assist those suffering severe cases of wheezing or difficulty breathing. Your physician will work with you to determine if a breathing machine is necessary.
   

Lacerations – We are experts in treating all deep cuts and large lacerations, offering innovative closure techniques and focusing on immediately treating the pain from the injury.

• Skin glue -Advancements in medical care have made skin glue an option for closing minor lacerations. The best candidates for skin glue include wounds in areas with loose skin, such as the forehead, forearm, inner thigh, abdomen and the fatty part of the cheek.
• Pain-stopping medicine - Physicians at MetroSouth Medical Center work diligently to relieve pain in patients, taking advantage of the latest technologies and pharmaceuticals available.

Fever – Unexplained and sudden fever can be a warning sign for other underlying conditions. MetroSouth Medical Center emergency medicine physicians are excellent diagnosticians that quickly get to the root of the problem and develop appropriate acute treatment plans. Referrals to follow-up specialists also take place seamlessly.

Stroke – Patients experiencing stroke-like symptoms should call 911 immediately. Those symptoms include:

• Sudden severe headache with no known cause. Often described as “worst headache ever.”
• Sudden dimness or loss of vision in one or both eyes. Unexplained blurring or intolerance to light.
• Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg on one side of the body.
• Sudden trouble walking, talking or dizziness.

Keep in mind that not all warning signs happen with each stroke, and signs should never be ignored, even if they go away. Stroke is an emergency and the sooner patients experiencing a stroke receive advanced medical attention, the better their outcomes will be. MetroSouth Medical Center emergency physicians are specialists in administering the most advanced, proven outcomes for acute stroke, including TPA.

Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) is a clot-busting drug, also called a thrombolytic agent, and is used in certain patients having a heart attack or stroke. TPA is the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the acute (urgent) treatment of ischemic stroke.

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)s
Patients should also be aware of the symptoms of transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes referred to as a mini-stroke. TIAs are a warning sign to the patient of the significant possibility of a major stroke. Patients experiencing TIA symptoms often experience:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
• The stroke-like symptoms appear rapidly but last a short time, typically less than five minutes.

The average TIA duration is about a minute. Unlike stroke, when a TIA is over, there’s no permanent injury to the brain.

All adults should understand the warning signs of stroke, especially those at increased risk. TIA symptoms are the same as stroke symptoms, but they last for less than five minutes and leave to permanent injury to the brain. 

Patients should seek medical attention immediately.