Case Reports in Emergency Medicine最新文献

The patient was a 64-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus, thrombophlebitis of the lower legs, cerebral infarction with left hemiparesis, and colostomy after perforation of the sigmoid colon. On the morning of her presentation, the patient felt epigastric abnormality. Thereafter, hematemesis occurred twice, leading her to call an ambulance in the afternoon. Upon arrival, electrocardiography before securing a venous route and obtaining blood samples revealed ST segment elevation in leads II, III, and aVF. As her vital signs were stable and her hemoglobin level had decreased by just 1.1 g/dl in comparison to the previous day, emergency coronary angiography (CAG) was performed. CAG revealed complete occlusion at section #4. She underwent right coronary angioplasty with stent placement. The patient's course after angioplasty was uneventful. On the 15^th hospital day, esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed esophageal erosion and superficial gastritis. She was discharged on foot the following day. When physicians treat patients with hematemesis, electrocardiography and the measurement of troponin are essential before esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Rectus sheath hematoma is an unusual but well-known clinical problem. Our hospital admitted a 54-year-old woman complaining of harsh right-sided hypogastric pain that started while muscle training. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated a right rectus sheath hematoma. As the hematoma did not increase, the patient was conservatively treated. Despite increased awareness of rectus sheath hematoma, its early diagnosis and treatment still present a challenge to emergency physicians. Swift acknowledgement of this rare cause of abdominal pain may avoid more intrusive examination, unnecessary hospitalization, and laparotomy. Careful consideration of the patient's medical history and a high index of suspicion are needed to diagnose this complication.

An Amyand's hernia is an inguinal hernia that contains vermiform appendix. De Garengeot's hernias are similar; however, in this case the appendix is within a femoral hernia. Both types of hernia are rare, and those hernias associated with appendicitis, perforation, or abscess are even scarcer presentations. The treatment of Amyand's hernia and De Garengeot's hernia is not standardized. Generally, hernia repair is performed but disagreement remains regarding the use of mesh and performing appendectomy. This case series describes two individuals with appendicitis presenting to one emergency department within a 24-hour time frame. One case is of a patient with Amyand's hernia and another case is a patient with De Garengeot's hernia with an adjacent abscess. Both individuals were managed with appendectomy and hernia repair without the use of mesh.

Artery of Percheron (AOP) is a rare anatomical variant, which supplies bilateral paramedian thalami and the rostral mesencephalon via a single dominant thalamic perforating artery arising from the P1 segment of a posterior cerebral artery. AOP infarcts can present with a plethora of neurological symptoms: altered mental status, memory impairment, hypersomnolence, coma, aphasia, and vertical gaze palsy. Given the lack of classic stroke signs, majority of AOP infarcts are not diagnosed in the emergency setting. Timely diagnosis of an acute bilateral thalamic infarct can be challenging, and this case report highlights the uncommon neurological presentation of AOP infarction. The therapeutic time window to administer IV tPA can be missed due to this delay in diagnosis, resulting in poor clinical outcomes. To initiate appropriate acute ischemic stroke management, we propose a comprehensive radiological evaluation in the emergency room for patients with a high suspicion of an AOP infarction.

Injuries from cactus spines can present challenges to Emergency Medicine providers. When the patient has mental limitations that prevent cooperation with removal, these challenges grow. Traditional removal techniques have several drawbacks including prolonged time for complete removal and incomplete removal. We present the case of a 22-year-old with a history of low-functioning autism and congenital motor dysfunction with a cactus spine injury to a large surface area of her chest, abdomen, and extremities. Conscious sedation utilizing intramuscular ketamine and Operating Room (OR) hair removal mitts were utilized to quickly and effectively remove the cactus spines. The patient had efficient, painless resolution of her injury without need for additional spine removal.

Dystonia is a movement disorder characterized by sustained muscle tone. Antipsychotic agents sometimes cause acute dystonia that can rapidly worsen within a few hours or days. Because healthy children rarely receive antipsychotic agents, it is unusual to see antipsychotic agent-induced dystonia in pediatric emergency departments. We report a rare case of a 12-year-old healthy boy who presented with acute dystonia after administration of haloperidol for sedation. He was suspected of laryngeal dystonia because stridor and desaturation were present. The symptoms disappeared with the administration of hydroxyzine. Rapid diagnosis was important in this case because laryngeal dystonia is a potential life-threatening complication due to upper airway obstruction. Considering the risk of side effects, doctors who are not accustomed to administering pediatric anesthesia should consult a pediatrician and/or an anesthesiologist prior to administration of anesthetics to pediatric patients.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2012/342760.].