Emergency care
Emergency care is the treatment of unexpected, severe medical injuries or infections. It is typically delivered in an emergency room or an ambulance. Our emergency medicine physicians stabilize your condition as quickly as possible to prepare you for the next step of care or discharge.
Miami emergency room (ER), open 24/7
When a medical emergency strikes, you and your family can trust the emergency room at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.
Our emergency care providers are standing by to deliver the care you need when you need it most. We have four full-service emergency rooms in Florida: two in Kendall (one at our main campus and another in Town & Country) one in Doral and one in Cutler Bay. Each of our emergency rooms is open 24/7 for adult and pediatric patients and all are conveniently located off the Florida Turnpike.
Related specialties
Learn more about our related specialties
Emergency conditions we treat
Our highly trained emergency room staff is prepared to treat a diverse range of conditions, including:
- Alcohol poisoning
- Allergic reactions (food and other allergies)
- Animal and insect bites
- Asthma attacks and other respiratory issues
- Concussions
- Heart attacks
- Heatstroke
- Orthopedic injuries, including broken bones
- Stomach and side pain, including appendicitis
- Strokes
- Viral and bacterial infections, including flu
High-quality emergency services
Our comprehensive emergency team has one goal in mind: to get you assessed, treated and back to your life as quickly as possible. To do this, we are proud to offer a variety of features and emergency services at our hospital.
Features of our emergency room
Our emergency room features:
- Full-service emergency care, available 24/7
- Highly trained medical staff
- Intensive care unit (ICU)
- Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)
Our emergency room also features:
Heart attack treatment
Because every minute matters when you're having a heart attack, we've put specific protocols and teams in place to ensure you receive fast, effective heart attack care when you need it most. We also offer complete heart care services to keep you healthy long after you leave the emergency room.
Level I Trauma Center
As a Level I Trauma Center (one of only two in all of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties), we are equipped to provide the highest level of trauma care to patients of all ages with life-threatening injuries.
Rapid stroke treatment
We have been recognized as a Certified Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. Receiving this recognition means our stroke program has met stringent requirements and follows national standards and guidelines that significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients.
Specialized burn care
Through our emergency room, we offer advanced care for patients who have experienced severe burns.
We also offer:
- A burn resuscitation room
- Eight designated burn intensive care rooms for patients with severe injuries
- Ten progressive care patient rooms for patients with stable medical conditions
We also offer this same quality of care and support at our freestanding emergency rooms: HCA Florida Doral Emergency, HCA Florida Town & Country Emergency, and HCA Florida Cutler Bay Emergency.
Pediatric emergency room
Staffed by pediatric specialists experienced in childhood diseases and injuries, our dedicated pediatric emergency room in Miami treats nearly 20,000 children per year. Our experience ensures that your little one receives the care they deserve.
Additionally, since we know hospitals can be overwhelming for children, we designed our pediatric emergency room with kids in mind. Bright colors are used in the decorations, patients are offered coloring books and a "Kenny Kendall" teddy bear and we have a child life specialist on staff to provide education and support to your child.
Our emergency room wait times
When it comes to emergency care, our goal is to continually work toward enhancing the care you receive, while reducing our wait times. This ensures you get the care you need, when you need it most.
Our wait times are updated every 30 minutes and are available on our website.
To find out the wait times of the HCA Florida emergency room nearest to you, check the top of our website or text "ER" to 32222.
Note: Message and data rates may apply. Emergency room wait times are approximate and provided for informational purposes only.
When to go to the emergency room
We understand it can be hard to know what type of medical care you need, like whether you should go to the emergency room or wait for your doctor's office to open.
When to go to the emergency room
However, we want you to feel secure about your choice for care, which is why we've created a list of symptoms that may indicate you need to visit the emergency room:
- Back pain, when it is unbearable or accompanied by fever, numbness, weakness, confusion, slurred speech, vision loss or loss of control over bladder or bowels
- Broken bones, when the pain is severe or there is a visible deformity
- Chest pain, when it is crushing or squeezing and accompanied by other heart attack symptoms, such as shortness of breath or nausea
- Concussion, when you have lost consciousness, even briefly, or experience amnesia, vomiting, slurred speech or a seizure
- Flu, when symptoms become severe, such as having trouble breathing, vomiting uncontrollably or becoming dehydrated
- Side pain, when it is severe and occurs in the lower right stomach, side or back or is accompanied by fever, nausea, diarrhea or blood in the urine
- Stomach pain, when accompanied by a hard or tender stomach, nausea, shortness of breath, fever or irregular heartbeat
- Trouble breathing, when breathing stops, is noisy or high-pitched and comes with pain in the chest or severe shortness of breath
If you are unsure if your symptoms require an emergency room visit, you can speak to a nurse 24/7 by calling our Consult-A-Nurse® team at (305) 222-2200.
What to expect at the emergency room
When you get to the emergency room, one of our triage nurses will assess your symptoms and vital signs. Next, a registration clerk will collect your insurance card (if available) and other information.
We medically screen, evaluate and stabilize all patients — whether or not they have insurance or are able to pay.
Anyone who has severe, life-threatening illnesses or injuries will be treated first. Everyone else will be treated in the order they arrive.
Before discharge, we encourage you to ask our emergency care teams any questions you have. It is also useful for you to keep all of your paperwork, discharge information and medicines or prescriptions together after you leave the emergency room.
After discharge, our emergency department staff will reach out to your primary care provider to ensure they are updated on your care.
What to bring to the emergency room
When coming to the emergency room, we recommend you bring:
- A list of medicines you currently take
- A list of known allergies
- Copies of results from recent medical tests, if available
- Personal care preferences and restrictions
- A responsible adult or phone number for someone to contact
Safe care for emergencies at Kendall Hospital
Looking for another location?
Our Emergency care Locations
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