Emergency care

24-hour emergency room in Anchorage, Alaska

Alaska Regional Hospital is known for its high-quality emergency care. Our emergency room (ER) is open 24/7 and has a compassionate staff of board-certified emergency medicine physicians, emergency care-trained nurses and support staff. Our goal is to quickly assess symptoms, diagnose illnesses, begin recommended treatments and admit patients for a higher level of care as needed.

If you or a loved one are experiencing a severe injury or illness, call 911 immediately but if you have questions about our emergency care services, speak with a team member at (907) 276-1131.

Emergency care for illnesses and injuries

We hope you’ll never need emergency care, but if you do, we’re ready and waiting to provide expert care for conditions ranging from minor injuries to major trauma. Our emergency room features:

• Access to Alaska's first and only Certified Stroke Center
• Advanced cardiac life support
• An option for fixed-wing aircraft to taxi directly to our door
• Pediatric advanced life support
• State-of-the-art equipment for cardiac and trauma patients
• Stroke screenings certified by The National Institute of Health
• Trauma nurse coordinator who provides trauma prevention, education and community for patients during their hospital visit

Pediatric emergency care

Our friendly ER specialists take great care of kids of all ages. With additional training in pediatrics, this team has the right equipment on hand to meet the unique needs of diagnosing and treating children up to the age of 17. They understand that a medical emergency can feel scary for a child or teenager and their parents. Rest assured, our team will make you and your young one feel as comfortable as possible, and they will keep your wait to a minimum.

What to expect for your ER visit

We treat patients based on their condition and need for immediate intervention. Upon arrival, you will be seen by a triage nurse and then be evaluated by an ER physician. If your condition requires it, an on-call specialist may be contacted. The average wait time in our ER is 30 minutes.

Each emergency room patient is allowed one to two visitors at a time, depending on the patient's condition. The primary nurse may make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Before you are discharged, you will receive information about your diagnosis, treatment plan and follow-up care. You will be given instructions about medications, post-visit activities and symptoms to watch for that would require a return visit.

Advanced emergency-related care

Alaska Regional offers care for specific urgent needs including:

Cardiac critical care unit (CCU)

Critical care monitoring is important for patients recovering from cardiovascular illnesses including open-heart surgery, congenital and acquired heart disease, heart failure and pulmonary hypertension issues.

Our critical care team admits over 500 patients annually. Our 14-bed unit is staffed with cardiac care-trained nurses and support staff. We support patients and their families from the pre-operative stage throughout hospitalization. The CCU team includes:

• Cardiac anesthesiologists
• Cardiologists
• Cardiothoracic surgeons
• Hospitalists (doctors specializing in non-critical hospitalized patients)
• Intensivists (doctors specializing in critical care)

Specialists are available 24/7 to help evaluate and manage patient care using:

• Cardiac catheterization procedures
• Echocardiography exams
• Electrophysiology studies
• Intra-aortic balloon pump
• Pacemaker implantation procedures
• Ventricular assist devices

Neonatal evaluation and support (NEST) program

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) may occur when a pregnant woman takes narcotics, alcohol or nicotine during pregnancy. Substance use during pregnancy can cause addiction in the mother and also causes addiction in the unborn baby along. When the newborn is no longer exposed to drugs after birth, the result is withdrawal symptoms including high-pitched crying, sleep problems and seizures.

At Alaska Regional, our NEST program offers medical management of a baby's withdrawal symptoms. NEST is a part of our substance abuse program whose goal is to help families affected by substance abuse recover in an open and non-shaming environment where respect, honesty, and diversity are highly valued.

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)

The neonatal ICU is a special department created for newborns who need specialized treatment. When a baby is born with medical problems, or if complications arise during delivery, the baby is immediately passed from our labor and delivery unit to the adjacent NICU.

We are able to care for newborns as young as 32 weeks gestation. Our team works to help babies develop and grow strong enough to go home to their families. Our neonatal team has special training to care for sick infants. Our team includes:

• Medical specialists (cardiologists, surgeons)
• Neonatologists (pediatricians specializing in caring for sick and premature babies)
• Nurse practitioners

Stroke care

Our Comprehensive Stroke Center is ready to quickly evaluate and start treatment for patients experiencing stroke symptoms. Working with the ER team, we administer "clot-busting" medication. After stabilization in our ER, patients will be diagnosed and evaluated for a higher level of care as needed. Surgery, endovascular neuroradiology, and other neurological procedures may be recommended for a patient's care.

If patients are admitted to our CCU, they will be evaluated for acute in-patient rehabilitation care and outpatient follow-up pending the severity of their stroke symptoms. Our goal is to minimize the effects of stroke and other neurological conditions.

For more information about stroke care, please speak with a team member at (907) 264-2332.