Main Line Health emergency care services are here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year
Take comfort in knowing that the emergency care team at Main Line Health is here for you when you need us most to provide compassionate care as quickly as possible. Our team of specially trained physicians, nurses and technicians, using the most advanced protocols and technology, is available around the clock at Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital. Each of our four acute care hospitals has a wide reach within the Philadelphia suburbs.
At Main Line Health, we understand that a trip to the emergency room can be frightening and uncertain, whether you are the patient or a worried family member or friend. It can sometimes be difficult to determine if your unique situation requires a trip to one of our emergency rooms. The information below should help identify when you should call 911, but if you think you need us, please do not hesitate to come for an evaluation, as it may make all the difference in the world.
What is a medical emergency?
Call 911 if you or someone with you may be experiencing any of these symptoms that require immediate medical attention:
- Severe stomach and abdominal pains: with or without blood in vomit or stool, fever, injury or difficulty breathing.
- Chest pain and heart attack: Not all of these symptoms need to be present in a heart attack. Any of these symptoms is of concern: chest pain, pressure, pain down the arms, back, jaw, neck, or upper abdomen. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat and extreme fatigue.
- High fever: especially with stiff neck, mental confusion or difficulty breathing.
- Severe headache.
- Severe cough.
- Back pain.
- Shortness of breath.
- Throat pain: difficulty swallowing.
- Vomiting or severe diarrhea, especially with blood.
- Stroke: Face drooping, arm or leg weakness or numbness, speech difficulty, confusion, change in mental status.
- Injuries and accidents: especially loss of consciousness or fainting, head injury, broken bones, major trauma.
- Flu.
- Burns.
- Wound that will not stop bleeding.
- Inability to urinate.
- Poisoning.
- Suicidal or homicidal feelings.
Call 911 if you think you or someone else is experiencing a medical emergency.
Why choose Main Line Health for your emergency care?
We evaluate and treat life-threatening and less severe emergencies quickly
Our emergency medical specialists collaborate with every medical and surgical area of expertise. Critically ill or injured patients and patients requiring intensive care are always given priority.
What sets Main Line Health emergency departments apart?
Located just minutes from Philadelphia, our Main Line Health emergency rooms provide the highest standards of care. Our emergency department patient satisfaction scores have been among the highest in the nation.
- Physician expertise – All of our physicians are board-certified in emergency medicine.
- Private rooms – each of our four hospitals offers all private rooms for examination and treatment to ensure confidentiality and privacy.
- Our own diagnostic equipment – we have our own advanced diagnostic, imaging and monitoring equipment, including CT-scans, X-ray, laboratory and other specialized equipment to enhance patient comfort and decrease wait time.
- Advanced communication technology – we have advanced communications technology in place so medics can transmit important patient information from an accident site or an ambulance to the hospital emergency department, allowing for advanced cardiac preparation and quicker treatment.
- Short waits – waiting time for less serious conditions is determined by clinical need, and our average wait time is less than 30 minutes.
- Helipads – each of our four hospitals has a helipad to accommodate serious injuries and conditions needing immediate care.
Main Line Health emergency care resources
- Dedicated pediatric emergency room and inpatient floor – Bryn Mawr Hospital has a dedicated pediatric emergency room and inpatient floor, with a child-centered family waiting room. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) pediatric specialists are available to provide child-centered medical and surgical care.
- Level II trauma centers – Lankenau Medical Center and Paoli Hospital are equipped to handle serious injuries associated with major accidents from falls, automobile accidents and sports injuries.
- Stroke Center – Bryn Mawr Hospital is an advanced Interventional Stroke Center that allows for the latest state of the art technological procedures in caring for stroke patients.
- Access to specialists across many disciplines – Especially in cardiac emergencies, to ensure life-saving measures are administered quickly. The Lankenau Heart Institute team of cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and sub-specialists are available at all four hospitals to provide state-of-the-art cardiovascular care.
- Dedicated psychiatric facility – At Bryn Mawr Hospital for the treatment of behavioral emergencies.
- Access to state of the art radiology facilities – With support from a team of expert Radiologist physicians.
- Advanced specialty care – In the areas of surgery, orthopaedics, oncology, infectious disease, internal medicine.
