WMJ : official publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin最新文献

Introduction: "Delta-8," or delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC), is a cannabinoid product that is growing in popularity for recreational use across the nation. This report aims to characterize the clinical presentation of acute delta-8 ingestions presenting to the emergency department.

Case series: This is a case series of 6 patients who presented to a regional network of small- and medium-volume emergency departments in northwest Wisconsin. Patient histories confirmed that all patients had delta-8 exposure. Patient ages ranged from 5 to 57 years old. Amounts ingested and routes of ingestions varied from patient to patient. The most common symptoms reported were respiratory depression, unresponsiveness, altered mental status, tachycardia, and chest pressure.

Conclusions: This case series is a snapshot of the burden experienced by emergency departments because of delta-8 availability. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for delta-8 use, especially in patients with altered mental status, anxiety, or cardiac.

Introduction: Amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a multisystem disease with significant variability in patient presentation. This case describes the presentation and workup of a patient with unique multiorgan involvement on initial presentation.

Case presentation: A 69-year-old African American male presented with weakness, leg swelling, and shortness of breath. Initial workup demonstrated acute heart failure and acute-on-chronic renal failure with nephrotic range proteinuria (5.78 protein to creatinine ratio). Further workup showed elevated serum protein electrophoresis, urine protein electrophoresis, and light chains. Subsequent renal biopsy showed lambda-restricted AL-type renal amyloidosis.

Discussion: A variety of systemic presentations have been described in the literature; however, concurrent heart and renal failure as primary presentation is uncommon.

Conclusions: This case emphasizes the importance of considering systemic inflammatory diseases, such as amyloidosis, in the differential diagnoses of patients with unexplained multiorgan disease. Early diagnosis and treatment initiation are essential for improving patient outcomes. Improved recognition of common clinical manifestations and laboratory abnormalities will likely improve outcomes through earlier diagnosis.

Introduction: Dermatologic manifestations of diseases in solid organ transplant recipients are common due to long-term immunosuppression.

Case presentation: We present the case of a 63-year-old man with a kidney transplant who exhibited subcutaneous nodules on lower extremities, cytopenia, and asymptomatic pulmonary infiltrate. Through a skin biopsy and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing, Mycobacterium haemophilum was identified. His clinical course was complicated by empyema, septic arthritis, and recurrence of his skin manifestations, despite ongoing antimicrobial treatment.

Discussion: This case emphasizes the challenges and potential complications associated with M haemophilum infections in solid organ transplant recipients receiving long-term immunosuppressive therapy. It highlights the importance of employing advanced diagnostic techniques when evaluating dermatologic manifestations in these patients. The patient's complex clinical course also underscores the difficulties involved in effectively addressing and managing complications that may arise even after initiating therapy.

Introduction: Uterine clostridial myonecrosis is a rare infection associated with a high mortality rate. This report presents 2 cases of maternal mortality resulting from peripartum clostridial myonecrosis of the uterus.

Case presentation: Case 1 is a 30-year-old woman (nullipara) who presented in labor at term with an intra-amniotic infection and fetal demise. She rapidly developed septic shock, and cesarean hysterectomy was performed for a suspected necrotizing uterine infection later identified to be Clostridium septicum. Case 2 is an adolescent who presented in septic shock following first trimester medication abortion and died during emergent exploratory laparotomy; cultures grew Clostridium sordellii. Both patients expired within 18 hours of hospital admission.

Discussion: Given the rapidly progressive course of clostridial infections, maintaining a high index of suspicion is imperative for ensuring timely diagnosis and effective treatment. Prompt recognition of clinical features associated with clostridial myonecrosis - abdominal pain, tachycardia, leukocytosis and hyponatremia - is essential in preventing mortality. The utilization of point-of-care ultrasound may expedite the diagnosis of uterine myonecrosis. When uterine myonecrosis is suspected, immediate initiation of penicillin-based antibiotics, alongside clindamycin, and aggressive surgical intervention including hysterectomy are essential for ensuring survival. Although the decision to perform a hysterectomy can be challenging, especially in cases involving child-bearing-aged patients, it is a vital step to avert a fatal outcome.

Conclusions: By presenting these cases, we aim to raise awareness of this uncommon, but highly lethal infection to expedite diagnosis and treatment to improve patient outcomes.

Introduction: In June 2022, the United States Supreme Court announced its decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization to overturn Roe v Wade. As a result, half of US states now face proposed or in-effect abortion bans, which affect the ability of obstetrics and gynecology (ObGyn) residency programs to provide abortion training. We sought to establish ObGyn residents' pre-Dobbs attitudes toward abortion, desire to learn about abortion, and intentions about providing abortion care in their future practice.

Methods: From January through December 2021, we surveyed 70 ObGyn residents at 4 programs in Wisconsin and Minnesota to assess their attitudes toward abortion, desire to learn about abortion, and intentions about providing abortion care in their future practice.

Results: Fifty-five out of 70 (79%) ObGyn residents completed the survey. Most reported highly favorable attitudes toward abortion, nearly all found the issue of abortion important, and the majority planned to incorporate abortion care into their future work. There were no differences in median attitude scores or behavioral intentions among institutions.

Conclusions: Prior to the Dobbs decision, ObGyn residents in Minnesota and Wisconsin viewed abortion as important health care and intended to provide this care after graduation.

Background: Physician burnout often stems from burnout in medical students that began during the first year of medical education. Individual factors contributing to burnout must be considered within the demands of rigorous curricula and personal ambitions. This study focused on understanding how burnout is perceived by students and the impact mentorship had on its incidence and onset.

Methods: A literature review guided the development of a facilitator guide that outlined factors causing burnout. Preclinical medical students from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health were recruited for online focus groups. Responses were analyzed using hierarchical inductive coding, and identified themes were utilized to create a 2-part electronic Qualtrics survey focused on key aspects and timepoints of burnout. Part A of the survey was sent the summer after the first year of medical school (M1), and Part B was sent after the final course of the second year (M2).

Results: Nineteen percent of students agreed they entered medical school burnt out. The percentage of survey respondents who were not burnt out at each consecutive block in their first year decreased from 80% during the first block to 20% at the beginning of the last block. Focus group and survey results found that mentorship had positive effects on burnout, and students noted increased needs for mental health services.

Conclusions: Understanding key pressure points and essential resources for addressing student burnout allows for improved education and personal outcomes. Alleviating factors were strong mentorship, mental health resources, and streamlined faculty communication. Increasing burnout highlights the importance of interventions to reduce long-lasting effects on student performance and well-being.

With the continued rise in mental health concerns, including suicide on college campuses nationwide, many academic institutions have developed peer-support programs. Correspondingly, the Medical College of Wisconsin developed and evaluated Seeking Peer Outreach* as its pioneer suicide prevention initiative. Seeking Peer Outreach* is an innovative approach to provide all medical students near-peer support and outreach encouraging engagement and conversations in effort to reduce the stigma and isolation often associated with mental health concerns in professional education. This study explores the effectiveness and efficacy of Seeking Peer Outreach* - a 3-tiered peer-support system. A survey of medical students, faculty, and staff demonstrated that the program increased knowledge on suicidal thoughts and behaviors and improved self-efficacy in talking about mental health with peers. It also showed that effective training helps individuals gain confidence with mental health interventions and suicide prevention.