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.
Emergency room (ER) in Sarasota, Florida
When you experience an emergency, we understand you want fast, expert care any time, day or night.
We offer you this care at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital's 24/7 emergency department near the I-75 corridor — convenient to Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton and Venice, Florida. Our team includes physicians, nurses and specialists who are board certified in providing lifesaving emergency care. We also offer high-quality treatment for children and your entire family.
Comprehensive emergency care
Our emergency room doctors and staff are prepared for any medical situation and provide care 24/7.
Our specialized emergency care
We specialize in emergency medical treatments for a variety of conditions, including:
- Asthma and other respiratory disorders
- Bone fractures, concussions and other injuries
- Digestive disorders, such as diarrhea or vomiting
- Heart and vascular conditions, such as chest pain and heart attacks
- Infections, including urinary tract infections
Freestanding emergency room
We also offer this same quality of care and support at our freestanding emergency room in Lakewood Ranch, Florida: HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors North Emergency.
Advanced stroke treatment
Our main campus emergency room is designated by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center. This certification means our program complies with the highest national standards for safety and quality care in the rapid response and treatment of acute strokes.
This means we offer you stroke care that includes:
- A dedicated stroke unit
- A multidisciplinary stroke committee that reviews patient care and outcomes monthly
- A trained stroke team available 24/7
- Quick results from diagnostic and lab procedures
- Rapid turnaround of imaging and radiology exams
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation, including specialists committed to helping patients regain a comfortable quality of life
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.
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.
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 (888) 685-1596.
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
The Healthy Living Blog
Fresh knowledge and insights in and around healthcare industry.