Archives

Severe Open Ankle Sprain

A healthy 19-year-old male presented with complaints of right ankle pain. Twelve hours before, he had jumped off a skateboard, inverting and abrading his right ankle.

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Blunt Abdominal Trauma Patients Are at Very Low Risk for Intra-Abdominal Injury after Emergency Department Observation

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of intra-abdominal injury (IAI) and death in hemodynamically normal and stable BAT patients with initially negative ED evaluations admitted to an ED observation unit and to define a low-risk subgroup of patients and assess whether they may be discharged without abdominal/pelvic CT or observation.

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Pacemaker Limitation of Tachycardia in Hypovolemic Shock

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 intake. There was a remote history of alcohol abuse, but no hepatitis or cirrhosis. Recent alcohol intake was denied by the patient. He had no medical allergies. His past medical history was pertinent for a history of hypertension, congestive heart failure, and a dual chamber pacemaker insertion. There was no history of diabetes mellitus, smoking, or myocardial infarction. Medications included lisinopril, a small dose of aspirin daily, and thyroid supplement. Family history was negative for cardiomyopathy, sudden cardiac death, gastric or duodenal ulcers, colon cancer, or any congenital abnormalities.

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Cardiac Arrest from Postpartum Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

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 sinus rhythm, and was taken to the catheterization laboratory where coronary angiography findings showed spontaneous dissection of the left anterior descending artery. The patient received a total of 6 stents during her hospital stay and was eventually discharged in good condition. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare entity with a predilection for pregnant or postpartum women. Early diagnosis and treatment are key for survival, and when identified early, mortality rate is reduced.

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Acute Aortic Dissection in Third Trimester Pregnancy without Risk Factors

Spontaneous aortic dissection in pregnancy is rare and life threatening for both the mother and the fetus. Most commonly, it is associated with connective tissue disorders, cardiac valve variants, or trauma. We present the case of a 23-year-old previously healthy woman, 36 weeks pregnant with a syncopal episode after dyspnea and vomiting. She subsequently developed cardiac arrest and underwent aggressive resuscitation, emergent thoracotomy, and cesarean delivery without recovery. On autopsy, she was found to have an aortic dissection of the ascending aorta. This case is presented to raise awareness and review the literature and the clinical approach to critical care for pregnant patients.

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Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms: Two Emergency Department Cases

Drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a rare, severe adverse drug event that appears with a generalized rash, fevers, and dysfunction of 1 or more organ systems. We describe 2 patients (1 adult and 1 pediatric) seen in the emergency department with DRESS, and review the clinical presentations, potential complications, and management of DRESS. Although rare, it can be associated with significant morbidity, including liver failure and death, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with diffuse rash and systemic symptoms.

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Erythema Gyratum Repens: A Rare Paraneoplastic Rash

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 malignancy by several months. Urgent patient referral to evaluate for malignancy is crucial, as this may lead to decreased morbidity and mortality.

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A Desert Rash

A 29-year-old man presented to the emergency department (ED) with a rash across his chest and abdomen. The rash began 2 hours before his arrival and was initially pruritic, but subsequently became painful. The patient also complained of acute onset of aching pain in both hips and his left arm. He denied associated chest pain or dyspnea, and had no paresthesias or disequilibrium. Routine laboratory studies and chest radiograph were normal. Earlier in the day, the patient had completed a dive to 235 feet in depth in Lake Mead, Nevada, but reported a very controlled ascent with appropriate decompression stops. Two days earlier, he had completed a dive to 315 feet in Lake Mead without any problems.

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Feedback in the Emergency Medicine Clerkship

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 in the context of the EM clerkship.

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Continuous Diaphragm Sign

An 11-year-old female presented to the emergency department with fever of 1 day’s duration and sore throat. Her family described a 3-week history of cough with fever, trouble breathing, and wheezing.

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Os Odontoideum: Rare Cervical Lesion

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 for military members who do not undergo surgical fusion.

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Unusual Cause of Chest Pain on Radiograph

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.

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Radiographic Evidence of Osteomyelitis

A 40-year-old male with human immunodeficiency virus (currently, CD4 171) presented to our emergency department (ED) with pain and swelling in the left third digit of 3 to 4 weeks’ duration. He noticed the swelling after a fist fight that resulted in compression of his ring on the finger.

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Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome as a Cause for Infant Hypotension

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.

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Myositis Ossificans

A 35-year-old man presented to the emergency department complaining of right hip pain after being struck by a car while crossing the road. His vital signs were stable, and he complained of right hip pain. He had no other comorbidity. On examination, tenderness and reduced abduction were noted in his right hip, but the gait was normal.

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Tattoos and Piercings: A Review for the Emergency Physician

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 psychological health of the patient undergoing treatment, and also try to educate around any potential pitfalls in treating associated complications.

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Contact Information

WestJEM/ Department of Emergency Medicine
UC Irvine Health

333 The City Blvd. West, Rt 128-01
Suite 640
Orange, CA 92868, USA
Phone: 1-714-456-6389
Email: editor@westjem.org

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WestJEM
ISSN: 1936-900X
e-ISSN: 1936-9018

CPC-EM
ISSN: 2474-252X

Our Philosophy

Emergency Medicine is a specialty which closely reflects societal challenges and consequences of public policy decisions. The emergency department specifically deals with social injustice, health and economic disparities, violence, substance abuse, and disaster preparedness and response. This journal focuses on how emergency care affects the health of the community and population, and conversely, how these societal challenges affect the composition of the patient population who seek care in the emergency department. The development of better systems to provide emergency care, including technology solutions, is critical to enhancing population health.