Clinical medicine & research
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Rectal seed bezoars are an uncommon cause of fecal impaction, particularly in the United States. Although the literature has reported several cases of phytobezoars composed of various types of seeds, bezoars formed of pumpkin seeds have rarely been reported. We report a case of a man, aged 62 years, with a rectal bezoar composed of pumpkin seeds with complications necessitating extensive treatment, including manual disimpaction and colonoscopy.
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Review Case Reports
Swallow syncope: a case report and review of the literature.
Swallow or deglutition syncope is a relatively rare syndrome. It is a vagally mediated syncope induced by swallowing. Swallow syncope may occur in all age groups and, when diagnosed, is treatable. ⋯ Echocardiogram was within normal limits. Her symptoms resolved after permanent pacemaker placement. Herein, we review the diagnosis, mechanism, and management of swallow syncope.
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Historical Article
Using historical vital statistics to predict the distribution of under-five mortality by cause.
Cause-specific mortality data is essential for planning intervention programs to reduce mortality in the under age five years population (under-five). However, there is a critical paucity of such information for most of the developing world, particularly where progress towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) has been slow. This paper presents a predictive cause of death model for under-five mortality based on historical vital statistics and discusses the utility of the model in generating information that could accelerate progress towards MDG 4. ⋯ Historical analyses suggest that under-five mortality transitions are associated with significant changes in cause of death composition. Sub-national differentials in under-five mortality rates could require intervention programs targeted to address specific cause distributions. The predictive model could, therefore, help set broad priorities for interventions at the local level based on periodic under-five mortality measurement. Given current resource constraints, such priority setting mechanisms are essential to accelerate reductions in under-five mortality.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of fentanyl and/or lidocaine on total antioxidants and total oxidants during craniotomy.
The aim of this study was to investigate the oxidative, hemodynamic, and analgesic effects of local lidocaine infiltration, or intravenous (IV) fentanyl injection, or a combination of lidocaine and IV fentanyl during head fixation in a 3-pin headrest in patients undergoing elective craniotomy. ⋯ The combination of fentanyl and lidocaine before pin fixation is useful in preventing severe hemodynamic response to pain stimuli, such as pin fixation, and in increasing total antioxidant levels in the post-fixational period during craniotomy in adults.
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An African-American man, aged 34 years, underwent an elective uncomplicated right wrist laceration repair while under general anesthesia. Following extubation, the patient developed hypoxemia, tachypnea, shortness of breath, pulmonary rales, frothy sputum, decreased oxygen saturation, and evidence of upper airway obstruction. Chest radiograph showed pulmonary edema. ⋯ Prevention and early relief of upper airway obstruction should decrease incidence. Recurrent NPPE has not been previously described in the literature. Herein, we describe the first case of recurrent NPPE in the same patient following extubation.