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 Miami
Nobody plans for an emergency, but when one does occur, HCA Florida Aventura Hospital offers 24-hour, high-quality emergency care.
At our kid-friendly emergency room, we can also promptly treat a variety of conditions in children. Additionally, as a state-designated Level II Trauma Center, our facility is also equipped with the tools and medical providers needed to offer lifesaving trauma services. Together, our goal is to provide the emergency care you need, when you need it most.
If you think you may be experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.
When to go to the emergency room
We have 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
Our emergency treatments and services
Enhanced safety protections
Never delay care, during the global pandemic or otherwise, to avoid a trip to the emergency room. Specific symptoms, including those of heart attack or stroke, require professional medical evaluation and timely treatment to reduce the risk of serious complications or worse. Our emergency rooms have introduced enhanced precautions to ensure a safe environment for all involved. We are here for you and we are well-equipped to handle any health concern you may have.
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) 256-7692.
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
- 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
Expert emergency services
To ensure you receive the best possible emergency care, our hospital features an
Intensive care unit (ICU) as well as:
Emergency heart care
In the event of a heart attack, every second counts. That's why our cardiology program uses advanced technology that allows patients to be assessed when they are being transported to the hospital. This revolutionary technology delivers electrocardiograms (EKGs) from emergency medical services teams directly to our doctors’ and nurses’ smart phones or tablets. The crucial time saved with this process can help save lives.
Our advanced technological system also quickly identifies ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMIs), a type of heart attack that involves a complete blockage in an artery of the heart.
Early heart attack care (EHAC)
Heart attacks have "beginnings" — early symptoms — and early recognition of these signs can prevent serious damage to your heart. Symptoms can actually begin two weeks before a major event.
Whether or not you experience early signs of a heart attack, symptoms may come and go until they become constant and severe. So, knowing heart attack symptoms and taking action early could save a life.
Signs of a heart attack include:
- Anxiety
- Back pain
- Chest pain, pressure, squeezing, aching or burning
- Fatigue
- Feeling of fullness
- Jaw pain
- Nausea
- Pain that travels down one or both arms
- Shortness of breath
- Tightness in the chest or throat
Stroke care
We were also the first facility in Miami-Dade County to receive the certification of Primary Stroke Center from The Joint Commission.
In 2011, we were certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. We are one of only three centers in Miami-Dade County with this designation, which nationally recognizes our hospital for providing some of the highest quality stroke treatment.
Trauma care
The Florida Department of Health has designated our hospital as a Level II Trauma Center. This provides a needed access point for trauma care in northern Miami-Dade County that facilitates lifesaving trauma services for its residents and visitors.
We are also part of Florida’s first statewide network of trauma centers, developed as an affiliation between the University of South Florida (USF) and HCA Healthcare to improve access and outcomes for injured patients.
Faster ER check-ins, shorter wait times
In addition to offering expert care, we are continually advancing the patient check-in process with new technologies.
Because of this, we are able to deliver you high-quality emergency care with added convenience so you receive effective care quickly.
Our emergency room kiosks make the check-in process simple. At the kiosk, you can enter the reason for your visit, then manually enter your information or simply scan in your Florida driver’s license. This information automatically puts you in the queue for the triage nurse and also captures your medical record information, making the check-in process easier than ever.
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.
Heart Attack Survivor Story at Aventura Hospital
Aventura Hospital - Your Go-To ER
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