We present a case in which point-of-care ultrasound accurately detected an intersphincteric abscess, and review the appropriate ultrasound technique to evaluate patients with suspected perianal and rectal abscesses.
We present a unique case of a patient presenting with ventricular tachycardia shortly following a seizure, along with corresponding laboratory data. Awareness of high risk arrhythmias in seizure patients could lead to advances in understanding pathophysiology and treatment of this complication of seizure disorder and ultimately prevention of SUDEP.
In this case, we present a patient with suspected acute toxin-mediated rhabdomyolysis in the setting of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) therapy for urinary tract infection. To our knowledge, this marks the fifth case report of an otherwise healthy patient diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis thought to be secondary to TMP-SMX.
We present a case of an otherwise healthy man, with a remote history of poison ivy exposure, who presented with a delayed but significant reaction to mango fruit. Obtaining the patient’s history of prior plant exposures and reactions was key to isolating the likely underlying causation of his presentation.
Here, we report the case of an otherwise healthy 32-year-old man who developed a fatal tension hemothorax due to vertebral artery aneurysm rupture. Based on the available literature, we discuss the presentation, workup, and available therapeutic approaches to this complication of neurofibromatosis.
Cervical epidural injections are commonly used to treat patients with radicular neck pain. The following is a description of a case of subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, and pneumocephaly following cervical epidural injection.
Acute vascular injury can be a cause of significant disability and morbidity. High clinical suspicion and a thorough physical examination are key components to facilitate a timely diagnosis. We present a case of acute vascular injury after isolated penetrating trauma.
Iatrogenic aortic dissection (IAD) status-post-cardiac catheterization is a rare complication often isolated to the proximal aorta. This is a case of IAD isolated to the distal aorta in a 41-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with right leg pain after undergoing three cardiac catheterizations. The
In this case report, we review the history and physical exam findings that should raise clinical suspicion for varicella zoster encephalitis, as well as the epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, and prognosis of this type of infection.
We describe an eight-year-old boy who presented to the emergency department with severe abdominal pain and was diagnosed with AAC and KD. He was treated with IVIG and high-dose aspirin, achieving good response with complete symptom resolution. He had no coronary artery aneurysms or further complications and was discharged after three days.
In this case report we review the appropriate steps for initial evaluation of patients with suspected delusional parasitosis, differential diagnoses, and increase awareness for prudent treatment strategies.
We present a case of a 70-year-old man taking rivaroxaban with hemodynamic instability from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. He received AnXa prior to endovascular surgery, and intraoperatively he could not be heparinized for graft placement. Consideration should be given to the risks and benefits of AnXa administration in patients who require anticoagulation after hemorrhage has been controlled.
This is a case of the most severe and potentially fatal complication of coronary artery vasospasm. We report a case of a 40-year-old female presenting to the emergency department (ED) via emergency medical services with chest pain.
We present the case of a 66-year-old female with newly diagnosed metastatic liver adenocarcinoma, not on chemotherapy, who was diagnosed with spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome. Cognizance of this syndrome and associated laboratory findings are paramount to diagnosis and rapid intervention.
We present a case where ketamine likely induced a seizure in a patient on whom it was used as a single agent in procedural sedation. Seizure is not a known side effect of ketamine in patients without a seizure history. Given the eagerness over additional uses for ketamine, this novel case of a seizure following procedural sedation with ketamine should be of interest to emergency providers.
Postmortem sperm retrieval (PMSR) requests and retrievals are increasing in the emergency department (ED) setting. Few EDs have protocols in place, and many emergency physicians (EP) lack the knowledge of how to proceed when such situations arise. We report the case of a 31-year-old male cardiac-arrest victim who expired in the ED, after which his wife requested PMSR.
We present an atypical case of MALS detected in the emergency department (ED). We review the symptomatology, diagnostic workup, and treatment options here, as well as discuss implications concerning revisits to the ED for recurrent GI symptoms.
Hemorrhage is a major cause of death among trauma patients. Controlling the bleeding is essential but can be difficult when the source of bleeding remains unidentified. We present a 67-year-old healthy male with a hypovolemic shock after a suicide attempt by jumping from a height.
The diagnosis of colpocephaly is typically made in infancy. Its diagnosis in adulthood without associated clinical symptoms is exceptionally rare. We report a case of colpocephaly diagnosed incidentally in an adult without neurologic abnormalities in the emergency department.
Emergency physicians should consider mediastinal mass, and in this case pericardial cyst, in the differential diagnosis of chest pain because of the risk for tamponade, sudden cardiac death, or other life-threatening complications. Here, we describe a novel presentation of a pericardial cyst presenting as atypical chest pain.
We present a case of Stanford type B AD diagnosed by POCUS in the emergency department in a patient with vague symptoms, normal CXR, and without aorta dilation. A subsequent review of CXR versus sonographic signs of AD is described.
Emergency physicians are well versed in cerebral herniation, pathology that typically results from increased intracranial pressure; however, paradoxical herniation is less common and requires opposing treatments. We describe a case of paradoxical herniation following lumbar puncture in a patient with previous hemicraniectomy.
We describe the case of a patient presenting with odd neurologic symptoms initially thought to represent somatization who was found to have critical hypokalemia manifesting as hypokalemic non-periodic paralysis.
We present the case of a 75-year-old man with vague symptoms and hypotension found to be in electrical storm secondary to sustained ventricular tachycardia. The patient did not respond to intravenous amiodarone, magnesium, lidocaine, or four cardioversion attempts.