1/19. The persistent nephrogram: A sentinel sign of contrast reaction.Two cases are presented in which a serious contrast reaction was accompanied by a dense persistent nephrogram. This radiologic sign results from the patient's systemic hypotension and provides the physician with an opportunity for earlier, more effective therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/19. Profiles in patient safety: when an error occurs.Medical error is now clearly established as one of the most significant problems facing the American health care system. Anecdotal evidence, studies of human cognition, and analysis of high-reliability organizations all predict that despite excellent training, human error is unavoidable. When an error occurs and is recognized, providers have a duty to disclose the error. Yet disclosure of error to patients, families, and hospital colleagues is a difficult and/or threatening process for most physicians. A more thorough understanding of the ethical and social contract between physicians and their patients as well as the professional milieu surrounding an error may improve the likelihood of its disclosure. Key among these is the identification of institutional factors that support disclosure and recognize error as an unavoidable part of the practice of medicine. Using a case-based format, this article focuses on the communication of error with patients, families, and colleagues and grounds error disclosure in the cultural milieu of medial ethics.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/19. diabetes mellitus and autonomic dysfunction after vacor rodenticide ingestion.A case of N-3 pyridylmethyl-N' 4 nitrophenyl urea (Vacor) rodenticide poisoning in a 52-year-old man is presented. Vacor is structurally related to alloxan and streptozotocin, agents that have been used extensively to produce diabetes mellitus in laboratory animals. Seven days after ingestion of Vacor, the patient presented in diabetic ketoacidosis complicated by postural hypotension and adynamic ileus. The patient recovered from ketoacidosis but has continued to require insulin. With infusion of arginine, glucagon rose from 185 to 650 pg./ml. and c-peptide from 0.5 to 3.4 ng./ml. Six weeks after onset of diabetes, no anti-islet-cell antibodies were detected. Muscle capillary basement membrane thickness on electron microscopy was found to be 1,918 /- 194 A. The absence of hyperglycemia after Vacor ingestion should not lead to complacency on the part of the attending physician. The patient must be observed closely for development of ketoacidosis and treated prophylactically with nicotinamide, the suggested antidote.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/19. Ruptured femoral pseudoaneurysm presenting as a lateral abdominal wall hematoma.Lateral abdominal wall hematomas are rare. We describe a patient with a delayed rupture of a femoral artery pseudoaneurysm, who presented with such a hematoma. In contrast to other types of abdominal wall hematomas, which are often managed conservatively, a ruptured femoral artery pseudoaneurysm frequently requires emergent surgical intervention. rupture of a pseudoaneurysm can be catastrophic. Due to the rising incidence of femoral artery pseudoaneurysms and shorter hospital stays, it is useful for the emergency physician to be familiar with the diagnosis and management of femoral artery pseudoaneurysms and their potentially life-threatening complications.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/19. Near-fatal amitraz intoxication: the overlooked pesticide.Amitraz is commonly used in agricultural industries throughout the world as a farm-animal insecticide. Despite its widespread use, amitraz intoxication is extremely rare and mainly occurs through accidental ingestion by young children. Severe, life-threatening amitraz intoxication in adults is very rarely recognized and reported. Described herein is a previously healthy 54-year-old patient who accidentally ingested a mouthful of liquid amitraz concentrate, and rapidly developed life-threatening clonidine-like overdose syndrome, manifested as nausea, vomiting, hypotension, bradycardia, bradypnoea, and deep coma. Supportive treatment, including mechanical ventilation, and atropine administration resulted in full recovery within 48 hr. Very few cases of near-fatal amitraz poisoning in adults have been described in the medical literature, leading to low awareness of physicians in general practice to the potential toxicity of amitraz. As a consequence, cases of amitraz poisoning are not recognised and therefore erroneously treated as the much more commonly recognized organophosphate and carbamate intoxication. In our discussion, we review the clinical and laboratory manifestations of amitraz poisoning, including clinical hints that aid in the recognition of this often-overlooked diagnosis. Differentiation of amitraz intoxication from the much more commonly seen pesticide-related organophosphate and carbamate intoxication is of utmost importance, in order to avoid erroneous, unnecessary, and often dangerous treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/19. Fatal toxic shock syndrome associated with clostridium sordellii after medical abortion.endometritis and toxic shock syndrome associated with clostridium sordellii have previously been reported after childbirth and, in one case, after medical abortion. We describe four deaths due to endometritis and toxic shock syndrome associated with C. sordellii that occurred within one week after medically induced abortions. Clinical findings included tachycardia, hypotension, edema, hemoconcentration, profound leukocytosis, and absence of fever. These cases indicate the need for physician awareness of this syndrome and for further study of its association with medical abortion.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/19. Lethal enterovirus-induced myocarditis and pancreatitis in a 4-month-old boy.After inconspicuous pregnancy and birth, a 16-year-old mother presented her male baby 5 days later with severe diarrhoea and vomiting. During the following weeks, the child temporarily showed hypotension, hypothermia and increased body temperature, bradyarrythmia with apnoea, continuing diarrhoea, sometimes vomiting and developed signs of pancreatic insufficiency. Due to increasing loss of weight and obviously severe dystrophia, parenteral nutrition had to be initiated. All clinical investigations revealed no underlying disease. Numerous biopsies, mainly from the gastrointestinal tract were taken, but no relevant pathological findings were disclosed. The baby was found lifeless by his mother, 4 months after birth. According to the death certificate, the physicians regarded the lethal outcome as a case of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Histological and immunohistochemical investigations of organ samples revealed signs of myocarditis, pancreatitis and focal pneumonia. Molecularpathological techniques were used to detect enterovirus rna from tissue samples from the myocardium, liver and pancreas. Enteroviral myocarditis with concomitant pancreatitis was determined as cause of death.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/19. Precipitous hypotension in the emergency department caused by capnocytophaga canimorsus sp nov sepsis.A 20-year-old man presented to the emergency department (ED) with an injured right hand, fever, and a history of dog exposure. This splenectomized individual developed hypotension less than 90 minutes after arriving in the ED with normal vital signs. He later developed overwhelming sepsis, gangrene, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), respiratory insufficiency, retroperitoneal hematoma, and renal insufficiency. Blood cultures grew capnocytophaga canimorsus sp nov (formerly Dysgonic Fermenter-2). sepsis, gangrene, and DIC are more likely to occur in asplenic individuals exposed to this organism. Many physicians use prophylactic outpatient penicillin therapy in asplenic or functionally asplenic victims of dog and cat bites. However, a brief admission or stay in an observation unit may be indicated for these high-risk individuals.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/19. Penicillin anaphylaxis.A case of oral penicillin anaphylaxis is described, and the terminology, occurrence, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of anaphylaxis are reviewed. Emergency physicians should be aware of oral penicillin anaphylaxis in order to prevent its occurrence by prescribing the antibiotic judiciously and knowledgeably and to offer optimal medical therapy once this life-threatening reaction has begun.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/19. prazosin-induced first-dose phenomenon possibly associated with hemorrhagic stroke: a report of three cases.A small initial dose of prazosin ranging from 0.5 to 1 mg has been recommended to avoid the first-dose phenomenon characterized by a sudden and severe drop in blood pressure after the administration of the first dose of prazosin. However, even with an initial dose of 0.5 mg, hypotension with consciousness disturbance developed in three hypertensive patients with recent cerebral hemorrhage. We present this report to alert physicians and pharmacists about the potential risk of the first-dose phenomenon even at the recommended initial doses of prazosin in hypertensive patients who have suffered a recent stroke.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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