Genitourinary emergencies: a prehospital perspective

Genitourinary emergencies present unique assessment and treatment challenges in the prehospital setting. Common chief complaints and patient presentations are listed in Table 3. Serious cases may involve hypovolemia, shock, severe pain, infection, or autonomic hyperreflexia. Prehospital management should focus on maintaining an adequate cardiovascular status, preventing excessive blood loss, relieving urinary retention, and alleviating pain. With these priorities in mind, prehospital treatment should have as its goals to treat pain, to reduce fear, and to minimize the complications of genitourinary emergencies.