1/13. Small ruptured abdominal aneurysm diagnosed by emergency physician ultrasound.Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms currently have a high rate of both mortality and misdiagnosis. Aneurysms smaller than 4 cm are not commonly considered for surgical repair. This report describes the case of a ruptured abdominal aneurysm measuring less than 4 cm diagnosed by the emergency physician utilizing bedside ultrasound. Within 30 minutes of arrival at the emergency department the patient's abdominal pain resolved spontaneously after defecation. If the bedside ultrasound had not been performed it is possible the patient would have been discharged from the hospital without surgical intervention. Bedside ultrasound by emergency physicians may improve the diagnosis of ruptured aortic aneurysms, particularly if the presentation is atypical.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/13. Blunt thoracic aortic injuries: initial evaluation and management.In at least one large study, the average time from arrival at the emergency department to arrival in the operating room was nearly 6 hours. That 30% of survivors will die in the same amount of time underscores the need for rapid diagnosis and treatment. In blunt thoracic aortic injury, beta-blockers have been shown to reduce the incidence of rupture, and their use is rarely contraindicated. A working knowledge of the mechanisms of injury likely to produce this lesion, commonly associated injuries, clinically relevant and easily recognizable chest film findings, and appropriate use of beta-blockade can have a significant impact on mortality. Any physician responsible for evaluation of trauma patients should be familiar with this information.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/13. Echocardiographic diagnosis of sinus Valsalva aneurysm rupture in two pediatric patients.Sinus Valsalva aneurysm rupture (SVAR) is a rare cardiac abnormality that requires surgical correction when diagnosed. Previously, cardiac catheterization and angiography were thought to be necessary for its diagnosis. We present two pediatric cases of SVAR with subarterial ventricular septal defect (VSD) diagnosed noninvasively by echocardiography; surgical findings confirmed the diagnosis. In both of our cases the origin of SVAR was the right coronary sinus. The first case was ruptured into the right ventricular cavity; the second was ruptured into the right ventricular outflow tract. Continuous murmurs heard during follow-up of children with VSD must alert the physician to this pathology. Combined two-dimensional, Doppler and color-Doppler echocardiography is an accurate, noninvasive method for diagnosis of SVAR.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/13. Spontaneous hemothorax. Report of 6 cases and review of the literature.We present 6 cases of spontaneous hemothorax and comprehensively review the medical literature on this subject. We categorize the reported causes and offer a rational diagnostic approach to patients with nontraumatic hemothorax. We recommend specific treatments for specific etiologies, and emphasize the importance of well-established surgical principles for the treatment of hemothorax. Our suggestions should enable physicians to accurately diagnose and expeditiously treat patients with spontaneous hemothorax.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/13. Descending thoracic aneurysm rupture with a known abdominal aortic aneurysm.The association of abdominal aortic aneurysms with aneurysmal disease of the thoracic aorta is well established. However, rupture of a descending atherosclerotic thoracic aortic aneurysm in association with an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm can present a difficult diagnostic and therapeutic problem to the treating physician. This article presents a case of rupture of an atherosclerotic descending thoracic aortic aneurysm in the face of what clinically appeared to be a leaking or ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/13. Traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta presenting as transient paraplegia.A patient involved in a high-speed motor vehicle accident presented paraplegic to the emergency department. He was noted to have an abnormal chest x-ray and, subsequently, underwent aortography which revealed aortic transection. The patient's paraplegia resolved spontaneously prior to definitive aortic repair hours later. aortic rupture presenting as paraplegia is a rare association, but one an emergency physician should be cognizant of, especially in the case of blunt or decelerating trauma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/13. Abdominal catastrophes.The patient in our case report presented with an acute abdomen but stable vital signs and ABCs. The differential diagnosis initially included most of the entities discussed in this chapter. The ECG ruled out an acute MI. The patient improved with IV hydration and oxygen administration. Abdominal x-ray films ruled out a bowel obstruction, and chest x-ray films ruled out a pulmonic process. Laboratory tests revealed hemoconcentration and leukocytosis. No other laboratory test results were abnormal. While waiting for the surgeon to arrive, the patient remains stable, so the ED physician orders a CT scan of the abdomen. Taking another look at the plain x-ray films, the emergency physician in our case presentation sees a suggestion of free air under the right hemidiaphragm above the liver on the CXR and between the liver and the right abdominal wall on the decubitus ABD x-ray. The CT scan confirms the presence of free air within the peritoneal cavity, and the patient is taken to surgery for an exploratory laparotomy. The final diagnosis is perforated peptic ulcer. With hindsight, the patient and wife recall a previous diagnosis of a possible ulcer in the past.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/13. The blue scrotum sign of Bryant: a diagnostic clue to ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.A 73-year-old man presented to the emergency department twice with nonspecific abdominal pain. He was diagnosed as having mild diverticulitis and was discharged. Four days later he presented to the emergency department in severe abdominal pain with scrotal and penile ecchymoses. After an initial urologic consultation the correct diagnosis of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm was made. We discuss the pathogenesis of the genital discoloration and make the correct historical attribution of this sign to John Henry Bryant, a turn-of-the-century physician at Guy's Hospital.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/13. Aortic dilation, dissection, and rupture in patients with turner syndrome.We report two patients with turner syndrome who had aortic dissection and rupture, one with prior repair of coarctation. We also note the high incidence (8.8%) of unrecognized aortic root dilation in a group of 57 patients with turner syndrome whom we prospectively evaluated by echocardiography. Our analysis and review of previously reported cases suggests that multiple risk factors may exist for aortic dissection, including coarctation, bicuspid aortic valve, and systemic hypertension, but that these need not be present. Aortic root dilation may be an additional finding that suggests the patient with turner syndrome is also at risk. When it is present, magnetic resonance imaging visualizes the entire aorta and allows quantification of the site and degree of dilation. In patients with dissection, the aorta often exhibits pathologic evidence of cystic medial necrosis similar to the finding in patients with marfan syndrome. Therapeutic methods to decrease risk, such as those directed toward prevention of bacterial endocarditis, blood pressure control, and perhaps prophylactic beta blockade or surgical reconstruction, may need to be considered. patients with turner syndrome, their families, and the physicians who care for them should be aware of the significance of unexplained chest pain, dyspnea, or hypotension as potential manifestations of aortic dissection or rupture.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/13. Echocardiographic diagnosis of ruptured aortic valve leaflet in bacterial endocarditis.aortic valve rupture, secondary to aortic valve endocarditis, was diagnosed echocardiographically and closely followed preoperatively. The ruptured left coronary cusp of the aortic valve was seen as dense irregular echoes, located anteriorly during ventricular diastole, and protruding into the left ventricular outflow tract in an otherwise normally appearing aortic valve. These echocardiographic findings, when correlated with changes in the clinical status of the patient, prompted immediate cardiac catheterization and aortic valve replacement. Early echocardiographic detection of abnormal aortic cusps and variation from normal aortic root echo features should alert the physician to proceed to cardiac catheterization, and aortic valve replacement if necessary.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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