UrgentEmergency Guide
Vomiting: Red Flags & Emergency Signs
Vomiting blood, bile-stained vomiting in a child, or vomiting with severe headache and fever represent medical emergencies requiring immediate assessment.
🚨 Call 999 / 112 Immediately
- ⚠Vomiting blood (haematemesis) — upper GI haemorrhage, call 999
- ⚠Projectile vomiting with severe headache — raised intracranial pressure
- ⚠Vomiting with fever and neck stiffness — meningitis
- ⚠Bile-stained vomiting in a newborn — surgical bowel obstruction
⚡ See a Doctor Today
- •Vomiting with complete inability to pass flatus or stool — bowel obstruction
- •Persistent vomiting with abdominal pain and fever — peritonitis
- •Vomiting with extreme thirst, polyuria, and confusion in a young diabetic — diabetic ketoacidosis
High-Risk Combinations
When vomiting occurs together with any of these symptoms, urgency increases significantly:
Conditions to Rule Out Urgently
Upper GI Haemorrhageemergency
Haematemesis — 999; IV access; endoscopy within 24 hours
Bowel Obstructionurgent
AXR + CT; NG tube; surgical review
DKAemergency
Blood glucose + ketones; IV fluids; insulin sliding scale
Meningitisemergency
Fever + vomiting + headache = meningism until proven otherwise
Condition Authority Pages
Differential diagnosis analyses:
When to Call Emergency Services
- →Vomiting blood or material resembling coffee grounds
- →Vomiting with loss of consciousness or seizure
- →Bile-stained vomiting in a baby or toddler