Administering anaesthesia to a patient with chronic schizophrenia is a challenge due to the increased risk of various perioperative complications. Neuroleptic agents are highly effective drugs used for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, but are rarely associated with neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Here, we describe the successful anaesthetic management of ...

In emergency, ultrasound has been widely used as a noninvasive and effective examination to evaluate congestive heart failure. We highlight "Playboy Bunny" sign as a reliable marker and an important clue to the diagnosis of passive hepatic congestion, caused by congestive heart failure.

Single-dose montelukast attenuates exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in adults within 2 hours postdose and lasting through 24 hours. This study evaluated the onset and duration of EIB attenuation in children after a single dose of montelukast. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-period crossover study was performed. Patients (n = 66) aged 4-14 ...

This randomized double blind study was started with an objective of management of spinal anaesthesia-induced hypotension in elective caesarean section by combining two commonly used vasopressors - ephedrine and phenylephrine in half of their usual doses with an expectation of reducing their foetomaternal side effects. One hundred and thirty two ...

Phaeochromocytoma is a rare cause of hypertension during pregnancy with potentially fatal consequences. If not detected and treated early in pregnancy, it is catastrophic for both the mother and the baby. Management requires close co-ordination between the obstetrician, anaesthesiologist, paediatrician and the endocrinologist. Perioperative management for an emergency caesarean section ...

Infants with food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) may present to the emergency department (ED) with vomiting and hypotension. A previously healthy, 5-month-old male presented with vomiting and hypotension 2 to 3 hours after eating squash. The patient was resuscitated with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and admitted for presumed sepsis. No source ...

We present the case of a 32-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with a witnessed cardiac arrest. She was otherwise healthy with no cardiac risk factors and had undergone an uneventful repeated cesarean section 3 days priorly. The patient underwent defibrillation, out of ventricular fibrillation to a perfusing ...

Intranasal corticosteroids (INSs) are the most efficacious medication for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. In 2006, the Joint Task Force of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, published a white paper on the potential over-the-counter switch of INS (Bielory ...

Incidental findings during ultrasound examinations occur frequently with live models in training sessions. Because of the broad scope of training sessions available, the ethics and guidelines of dealing with incidental findings in live models need to be discussed. We provide a case of an endovaginal ultrasound that had significant unexpected ...

A 2-month-old child presented with gross and huge swelling on the left side of the neck with difficulty in feeding. It was diagnosed to be cystic hygroma and a decision was made to excise the swelling to enable the child thrive better. Difficult intubation was anticipated and the child was ...

We report the case of a 22-year-old Marine who presented to the emergency department, after a martial arts exercise, with transient weakness and numbness in all extremities. Computed tomography cervical spine radiographs revealed os odontoideum. Lateral flexion-extension radiographs identified atlanto-axillary instability. This abnormality is rare and can be career ending ...

We present a case of pylephlebitis, which is an infective suppurative thrombosis of the portal vein. Pylephlebitis is an uncommon complication of intra-abdominal infections and carries with it significant morbidity and mortality.

Recent studies suggest that vitamin D modulates innate immunity and reduces the risk of microbial infections. Little is known about the role of vitamin D in antipneumococcal immunity in individuals with asthma. We determined the correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and pneumococcal antibody levels in individuals with asthma, ...

Use of suxamethonium is associated with an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) and may be harmful for patients with penetrating eye injuries. The purpose of our study was to observe the efficacy of dexmedetomidine for prevention of rise in IOP associated with the administration of suxamethonium and endotracheal intubation. Sixty-six ...

Acalculous cholecystitis is thought to occur in patients with a severe systemic illness or during long periods of intravenous nutrition. We discuss a case of acalculous cholecystitis secondary to Epstein-Barr virus detected by bedside ultrasound. We hope to alert clinicians who are actively using bedside ultrasound of an important, yet ...

Although most general anaesthesia procedures are performed without any complications, volatile agents may have adverse effects on various living systems. This study aims to compare the antioxidant effects of isoflurane and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on liver function. Forty-one patients in the ASA I-II risk groups, who were scheduled to undergo gynaecologic ...

We report prolonged desaturation in a child with Down syndrome (DS) and atrial septal defect due to undiagnosed interstitial lung disease. An 18-month-old child with DS was scheduled for bilateral lens aspiration for cataract. The child had atrial septal defect and hypothyroidism. He also had delayed milestones and hypotonia with ...

A 49-year-old white man was admitted to the emergency department with nausea and diarrhea of 11 hours duration. He had experienced crampy abdominal pain as well. He reported that his stools had been dark and malodorous. He had no prior history of gastrointestinal disorders, nor travel, unusual oral or liquid ...

This study describes deep sedations performed for painful procedures completed in the emergency department at an academic tertiary care hospital during an 18-month period. One hundred consecutive cases were retrospectively reviewed to describe indications, complications, procedural lengths, medication dosing, and safety of these sedations. Propofol and etomidate were the preferred ...

Erythema gyratum repens (EGR) is a rare and characteristic, paraneoplastic rash associated with a variety of malignancies, most notably lung, esophageal, and breast cancers. This case report details the appearance, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of EGR. Prompt identification of EGR is essential, as the rash often precedes the diagnosis of ...

We compared the immediate cosmetic outcome of metallic foreign-body removal by emergency medicine (EM) residents with ultrasound guidance and conventional radiography. This single-blinded, randomized, crossover study evaluated the ability of EM residents to remove metallic pins embedded in pigs' feet. Before the experiment, we embedded 1.5-cm metallic pins into numbered ...

Identifying fever can influence management of the emergency department (ED) patient, including diagnostic testing, treatment, and disposition. We set out to determine how well oral and tympanic membrane (TM) temperatures compared with rectal measurements. A convenience sample of consecutively adult ED patients had oral, TM, and rectal temperatures performed within ...

Chronic idiopathic (spontaneous) urticaria (CIU) is sometimes resistant to the conventional and high doses of antihistamines (AHs). This study compares the clinical and laboratory characteristics of AH responsive and AH-resistant CIU subjects. Clinical and laboratory data were retrospectively collected from 385 CIU patients. Urticaria activity score (UAS), concomitant angioedema, dermatographism, ...

Total knee replacement (TKR) is often carried out using a tourniquet to minimize intraoperative blood loss. However, its application enhances local fibrinolysis, resulting in excessive blood loss during the post-operative period. Fibrinolytic profile varies in different regions and races. Tranexamic acid has been shown to reduce post-operative blood loss and ...

The purpose of our study was to describe the evaluation and outcome of patients with ileus and bowel obstruction admitted to an emergency department (ED) observation unit (OU) and to identify predictors of successful management for such patients. We performed a retrospective chart review of 129 patients admitted to a ...

We hypothesized that a geriatric chief complaint-based didactic curriculum would improve resident documentation of elderly patient care in the emergency department (ED). A geriatric chief complaint curriculum addressing the 3 most common chief complaints-abdominal pain, weakness, and falls-was developed and presented. A pre- and postcurriculum implementation chart review assessed resident ...

Vascular pedicle width (VPW), a measurement obtained from a chest radiograph (CR), is thought to be an indicator of circulating blood volume. To date there are only a handful of studies that demonstrate a correlation between high VPW and volume overload, each utilizing different VPW values and CR techniques. Our ...

Medical education is rapidly evolving. With the paradigm shift to small-group didactic sessions and focus on clinically oriented case-based scenarios, simulation training has provided educators a novel way to deliver medical education in the 21st century. The field continues to expand in scope and practice and is being incorporated into ...

Understanding the magnitude of the economic impact of an illness on society is fundamental to planning and implementing relevant policies. South Korea operates a compulsory universal health insurance system providing favorable conditions for evaluating the nationwide economic burden of illnesses. The aim of this study was to estimate the economic ...

Although pneumomediastinum (PM) is a cause of chest pain, which can be diagnosed on a plain chest radiograph, emergency physicians frequently miss the diagnosis. As follows a description of findings of PM on a chest radiograph.

Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) is a multisystem, autosomal dominant disease that affects ∼1:10,000 to 1:50,000 individuals in the United States. The disease has several clinical characteristics that distinguish it from other forms of angioedema. Recurrent swelling attacks involve the abdomen, face, extremities, genitalia, oropharynx, or larynx without urticaria. The swelling attacks ...

This study assesses the efficacy of the rapid sequence intubation (RSI) protocol in preventing patient recollection of resuscitative events and patient discomfort during intubation, as subjectively determined by the patient. This was a prospective study of all patients intubated at Los Angeles County, University of Southern California Medical Center from ...

The efficacy of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke remains controversial in emergency medicine and has not been fully endorsed by either the American College of Emergency Physicians or the American Academy of emergency medicine. A growing recognition exists of the influence of pharmaceutical sponsorship on the reported findings of ...

We discuss a case of a 64-year-old male with a history of liver failure presenting with altered mental status, initially diagnosed with hepatic encephalopathy but ultimately diagnosed with nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) by electroencephalogram (EEG). NCSE is a difficult diagnosis to make, given no clear consensus on diagnostic criteria. Especially ...

Feedback is a technique used in medical education to help develop and improve clinical skills. A comprehensive review article specifically intended for the emergency medicine (EM) educator is lacking, and it is the intent of this article to provide the reader with an in-depth, up-to-date, and evidence-based review of feedback ...

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been reported in very high rates in the U.S. population. Deficiency has been implicated in various diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and many cancers. It has also been implicated in several allergic disorders and immune system dysregulation. The National Health and ...

Tattoos and piercings are increasingly part of everyday life for large sections of the population, and more emergency physicians are seeing these body modifications (BM) adorn their patients. In this review we elucidate the most common forms of these BMs, we describe how they may affect both the physical and ...

Emergency ultrasound is now used in both community and academic hospitals for rapid diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening conditions. Bedside emergency echocardiography can rapidly identify significant pathology such as pericardial effusions and tamponade, right ventricle dilatation due to pulmonary embolism, and cardiac hypokinesis, and aid in the diagnosis and management ...

In this report, we discuss a case of a 14-month-old male presenting in the emergency department with refusal to bear weight on his left leg. Plain radiographic studies revealed no evidence of effusion, fracture, or dislocation. Laboratory studies were significant for an elevated white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ...

Data on food allergy-related comorbid diseases and the knowledge on factors associating specific food types with specific allergic outcomes are limited. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical spectrum of IgE-dependent food allergy and the specific food-related phenotypes in a group of children with IgE-mediated food allergy. ...

The objective of this study is to identify (1) the current role of simulation in medical student emergency medicine (EM) education; (2) the challenges to initiating and sustaining simulation-based programs; and (3) educational advances to meet these challenges. We solicited members of the Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine (CDEM) e-mail ...

Chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is a common disease estimated to affect 0.1% of the population and can be very difficult to treat. Many psychotropic medications have been reported to be successful in treating refractory CIU. The purpose of this article was to discuss the pathophysiology of chronic urticaria and provide ...

The treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) includes the administration of aspirin. Current guidelines recommend chewing aspirin tablets to increase absorption. While this is intuitive, there are scant data supporting this recommendation. The purpose of this study is to assess which of 3 different aspirin formulations is most rapidly absorbed ...

Emergency medicine (EM) is a young specialty and only recently has a recommended medical student curriculum been developed. Currently, many schools do not require students to complete a mandatory clerkship in EM, and if one is required, it is typically an overview of the specialty. We developed a 10-month longitudinal ...

This is a case report of a 26-year-old healthy man with chronic diarrhea for 2 years. He was initially believed to have irritable bowel syndrome by his primary care physician after all stool studies yielded negative results. His symptoms persisted, which prompted a referral to a gastroenterology specialist. The patient's ...

Congenital afibrinogenemia is a very rare autosomal recessive disorder, results from mutation that affects plasma fibrinogen concentration. It is frequently associated with bleeding diathesis of varying severity. We describe the case of a 10-year-old child diagnosed of congenital afibrinogenemia who presented to hospital with subperiosteal haematoma and was posted for ...

To characterize cardiac complications in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients admitted from an urban emergency department (ED). Retrospective cross-sectional study evaluating AIS patients admitted from the ED within 24 hours of symptom onset who also had an echocardiogram performed within 72 hours of admission. Two hundred AIS patients were identified ...

Reliable and accurate Web-based health information is extremely valuable when applied to emergency medical diagnoses. With this update we seek to build upon on the 2004 study by determining whether the completeness and accuracy of emergency medical information available online has improved over time. The top 15 healthcare information sites, ...

Bispectral index monitoring system (BIS) is one of the several systems used to measure the effects of anaesthetic and sedative drugs on the brain and to track changes in the patient's level of sedation and hypnosis. BIS monitoring provides information clinically relevant to the adjustment of dosages of sedating medication. ...

Successful anaesthetic management for caesarean section in a case with previous pituitary tumour resection, with residual tumour, is reported. The pituitary gland undergoes global hyperplasia during pregnancy. Functional pituitary tumours may exhibit symptomatic enlargement during pregnancy. Growth hormone secreting tumour is associated with acromegaly which has associated anaesthetic implications of ...