1/9. Infectious disease emergencies in primary care.Infectious disease emergencies can be described as infectious processes that, if not recognized and treated immediately, can lead to significant morbidity or mortality. These emergencies can present as common or benign infections, fooling the primary care provider into using more conservative treatment strategies than are required. This review discusses the pathophysiology, history and physical findings, diagnostic criteria, and treatment strategies for the following infectious disease emergencies: acute bacterial meningitis, ehrlichiosis, rocky mountain spotted fever, meningococcemia, necrotizing soft tissue infections, toxic shock syndrome, food-borne illnesses, and infective endocarditis. Because most of the discussed infectious disease emergencies require hospital care, the primary care clinician must be able to judge when a referral to a specialist or a higher-level care facility is indicated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/9. Necrotizing fasciitis secondary to group A streptococcus. morbidity and mortality still high.OBJECTIVE: To update physicians on Group A streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis, including current methods of diagnosis and treatment. QUALITY OF EVIDENCE: Current literature (1990-1998) was searched via medline using the MeSH headings necrotizing fasciitis, toxic shock syndrome, and streptococcus. Articles were selected based on clinical relevance and design. Most were case reports, case series, or population-based surveys. There were no randomized controlled trials. MAIN MESSAGE: The hallmark of clinical diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis is pain out of proportion to physical findings. Suspicion of underlying soft tissue infection should prompt urgent surgical examination. Therapy consists of definitive excisional surgical debridement in conjunction with high-dose intravenous penicillin g and clindamicin. risk factors for mortality include advanced age, underlying illness, hypotension, and bacteremia. CONCLUSION: Necrotizing soft tissue infections due to Group A streptococcus might be increasing in frequency and aggression. overall mortality remains high (20% to 34% in larger series). Clinical diagnosis requires a high level of suspicion and should prompt urgent surgical referral.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/9. Septic shock resulting in death after operative delivery.BACKGROUND: We report a young woman who developed septic shock after operative delivery in the 32nd week of pregnancy. Clinical features, treatment modalities and prognosis of this high-mortality-rate disorder are presented and discussed. CASE: A 24-year-old woman, gravida 1, para 1, was referred to our clinic in a confused state and immediately admitted to our emergency unit. She apparently had eclampsia antenatally. Termination of pregnancy with induction of labor and vacuum extraction had been employed in gestational week 32 of pregnancy. One day after delivery, her clinical and laboratory parameters worsened, so she was referred to our clinic. After a thorough physical examination and laboratory evaluation, the patient was diagnosed as having sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. After blood and urine cultures were taken, aggressive management included volume repletion, antibiotics and positive inotropic therapy. Because she had persistent fever and unimproved laboratory values despite these therapies, the uterus and ovaries were thought to be the source of sepsis, and total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed. Neither clinical nor laboratory parameters improved, and the patient died 28 days after delivery as a result of respiratory failure. CONCLUSION: It is our purpose to emphasize that a rapid and appropriate decision for surgery may prevent the maternal mortality in obstetric septic shock patients. Successful management depends on early identification and aggressive treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 13.0922663677keywords = physical examination, physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/9. death in Antarctica.Antarctic tourism is flourishing, but Antarctic cruises are often more physically demanding than typical "tropical" cruises. An 82-year-old Antarctic tourist died of probable septic shock secondary to lower respiratory tract infection six days after sustaining a suspected vertebral fracture in a minor fall from an inflatable boat. This case highlights the need for Antarctic cruise ships to be equipped to provide life support and for better screening and education of prospective Antarctic tourists.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/9. Congenital methemoglobinemia: a rare cause of cyanosis in the newborn--a case report.cyanosis is a physical finding that can occur at any age but presents the greatest challenge when it occurs in the newborn. The cause is multiple, and it usually represents an ominous sign, especially when it occurs in association with neonatal sepsis, cyanotic congenital heart disease, and airway abnormalities. cyanosis caused by abnormal forms of hemoglobin can also be life-threatening, and early recognition is mandatory to prevent unnecessary investigations and delay in management. Abnormal hemoglobin, such as hemoglobin m, is traditionally discovered by electrophoresis, so the newborn screen, which is mandatory in several states, is a useful tool for the diagnosis. Although acquired methemoglobinemia, caused by environmental oxidizing agents, is common, congenital deficiency of the innate reducing enzyme is so rare that only a few cases are documented in the medical literature around the world. We present a neonate with cyanosis as a result of congenital deficiency of the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-cytochrome b5 reductase enzyme. This infant was found to be blue at a routine newborn follow-up visit. sepsis, structural congenital heart disease, prenatal administration, and ingestion of oxidant dyes were excluded as a cause of the cyanosis by history and appropriate tests. Chocolate discoloration of arterial blood provided a clue to the diagnosis. A normal newborn screen and hemoglobin electrophoresis made the diagnosis of hemoglobin m unlikely as the cause of the methemoglobinemia (Hb A 59.4%, A2 1.8%, and F 38.8%). Red blood cell enzyme activity and dna analysis revealed a homozygous form of the cytochrome b5 reductase enzyme deficiency. He responded very well to daily methylene blue and ascorbic acid administration, and he has normal growth and developmental parameters, although he shows an exaggerated increase in his methemoglobin level with minor oxidant stress such as diarrhea.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/9. Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome in children without skin and soft tissue infection: report of four cases.Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome is a fulminant, highly fatal disease characterized by evidence of group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus infection and early shock with consecutive organ failure. In adults, affected individuals usually have preceding skin or soft tissue infection. However, in paediatric patients, except for varicella, the background focus is usually respiratory tract infection, and early diagnosis of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome in such patients is difficult. We report four previously healthy children with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. pharyngitis was identified in three cases. All of them had constitutional symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and physical findings of tachycardia and diffuse abdominal tenderness, but no concomitant skin infection. CONCLUSION: Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome should be considered in paediatric patients with fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and early shock. early diagnosis, prompt initiation of antibiotics and aggressive fluid therapy are lifesaving for such patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/9. Emphysematous septic arthritis due to klebsiella pneumoniae.A 60-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis developed acute emphysematous septic arthritis of the knee due to klebsiella pneumoniae. She was brought to the hospital in septic shock with disseminated intravascular coagulation and had striking physical signs and roentgenograms showing distention of the knee with gas. She also had an infection of the hand with subcutaneous gas. After surgical drainage and institution of antibiotic therapy, she remained critically ill for several days but gradually improved. Two months later, she was ambulating independently. Emphysematous septic arthritis is rare. Four cases have previously been reported, but none were caused by Klebsiella.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/9. A 33-year-old white female with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and hypotension.A thirty-three year old female presented to our emergency department complaining of severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. On physical examination she was hypotensive with a firm, tender abdomen, cervical motion tenderness and a diffuse erythematous rash. A surgical diagnosis of Acute pelvic inflammatory disease was made during laparoscopy. Coagulant studies, liver function tests, culture results, and the desquamation of the patient's palms led to the additional diagnosis of Toxic shock syndrome. A literature search failed to reveal any similar cases of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) occurring concomitantly. patients may present severely ill with either of these disease entities but potential for serious illness is greater when both of these syndromes occur in the same patient. We conclude that in patients with a similar presentation, the symptoms should not be attributed completely to PID without further investigation and consideration of a concomitant disease process including TSS.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 13.0922663677keywords = physical examination, physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/9. sepsis, septic shock, acute abdomen? The ability of cardiac disease to mimic other medical illness.Transport medicine offers the challenge of patient diagnosis based only on the relayed history an the impressions of referring medical personnel. A thorough pretransport review of the patient's history, physical examination, radiographs, laboratory values, and other supporting information can help avoid surprises upon arrival at the patient's bedside and lead to an appropriate diagnosis and management plan. One must approach the transported child with an open mind, however, to avoid misdiagnosis and inadequate or inappropriate intervention and management. One of the advantages of pediatric specialty transport services is the ability to critically assess a referred patient and offer diagnostic and therapeutic guidance in addition to transportation to the receiving center. These above two examples illustrate difficult cases where the diagnostic skills of the transport medical personnel enabled the patients to receive appropriate acute interventional and specific disease-related therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 13.0922663677keywords = physical examination, physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |