A 15-year-old Hispanic primigravid female at 12 weeks gestation presented to the Emergency Department (ED) complaining of vaginal bleeding for two days. The patient denied any abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or fever.
A 33-year-old man presented to the emergency department with two days of right-sided facial and submandibular swelling. He denied fevers, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing or recent dental problems.
A two-year-old male presented to the emergency department (ED) with a four-day history of evening tactile fevers, measured to 38.1ºC at home, associated with a worsening cough, congestion, mild diarrhea, emesis, decreased oral intake and level of activity.
A 47-year-old Hispanic woman presented to the emergency department for evaluation of a left frontal head mass she reported noticing in the previous month, which caused her localized dull discomfort.
A 21-month-old male presented with a low impact fall striking his left eye against a metal stand at the market. On examination he was in no distress, had significant periorbital swelling, a dilated pupil with a sluggish pupillary response, and grossly normal extraocular movements.
A 17-year-old man presented with acute left lateral knee pain after “twisting” his knee during a soccer scrimmage. He denied trauma and prior injury to that knee.
A 23-year-old male with a history of Crohn’s disease and prior ileostomy, presented to the emergency department complaining of his “intestines coming out.”
A 60-year-old man had just enjoyed a summer meal that included hamburgers, fruit, and lettuce salad. He finished it off with some ice cream, and to make it healthier he threw on it a handful of seeds from the cupboard that he understood to be flax seeds.
The following case describes a 26-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with a nontrauamtic retrobulbar hematoma associated with warfarin toxicity. The application and limitations of focused bedside ocular sonography for this condition are discussed.
Toxic epidermal necrolysis is a rare disease that is most often drug-induced but can be of idiopathic origin. We present a case that originated at the site of a cigarette burn to the forearm and review the key elements of physical exam findings and management of this life-threatening dermatological condition, which needs to be promptly recognized to decrease patient mortality.
Repeat visits to an emergency department (ED) within a short period of time for recurring or continuing abdominal pain should make physicians suspicious for relapsing or episodic disease processes. I present a case of a 17-year-old female with cecal volvulus found only after multiple ED visits.
Author Affiliation Shahram Paydar, MD Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Trauma Research Center, Shiraz, Iran Roohollah Salahi, MD Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Trauma Research Center, Shiraz, Iran Shahram Bolandparvaz, MD Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Trauma Research Center, Shiraz, Iran Hamid Reza Abbasi, MD Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Trauma Research Center, Shiraz, […]
Intussusception is a condition found primarily in the pediatric population. In the adult population, however, intussusception is usually due to a pathological process, with a higher risk of bowel obstruction, vascular compromise, inflammatory changes, ischemia, and necrosis. Radiographic and sonographic evidence can aid in the diagnosis. Surgical intervention involving resection of affected bowel is the standard of care in adult cases of intussusception.
To assess current medical staffing levels within the Hospital Referral System in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa, and analyze the surge capacity needs to prepare for the potential of a conventional mass casualty incident during a planned mass gathering.
We present a case of catatonia, which occurred shortly after starting a new antipsychotic, paliperidone, an active metabolite of risperidone. Catatonia may be caused by a variety of conditions, including metabolic, neurologic, psychiatric and toxic processes. Interestingly, risperidone, which has been thought to cause several cases of catatonia, has also been recommended as a potential treatment. We discuss potential mechanisms for causes of drug-induced catatonia as well as potential treatment options.
Pneumocephalus typically implies a traumatic breach in the meningeal layer or an intracranial gas-producing infection. Unexplained pneumocephalus on a head computed tomography (CT) in an emergency setting often compels emergency physicians to undertake aggressive evaluation and consultation.
To determine if a sensitive D-dimer assay can exclude progression to organ dysfunction, death, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with suspected infection, and if increasing levels of D-dimer are predictive of those end points.
Despite its widespread use in North America and many other parts of the world, the safety of etomidate as an induction agent for rapid sequence intubation in septic patients is still debated. In this article, we evaluate the current literature on etomidate, review its clinical history, and discuss the controversy regarding its use, especially in sepsis. We address eight questions
Acute complications from cocaine abuse are commonly treated in the emergency department (ED); one of the most consequential is status epilepticus. The incidence of this complication is not clearly defined in the prior literature on cocaine-associated sequelae. We evaluated the incidence of status epilepticus in patients with seizures secondary to suspected cocaine use.
Chlorine gas represents a hazardous material threat from industrial accidents and as a terrorist weapon. This review will summarize recent events involving chlorine disasters and its use by terrorists, discuss pre-hospital considerations and suggest strategies for the initial management for acute chlorine exposure events.
A 75-year-old male presented to the emergency department (ED) following a fall from his bicycle. The patient fell face-first onto the handlebars, with the brake handle impaling his left upper lip.
