Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2011
Case ReportsMassive pericardial effusion with diastolic right ventricular compression secondary to hypothyroidism in a 73-year-old woman.
Pericardial effusion is commonly seen in patients with hypothyroidism, but a massive pericardial effusion with obvious diastolic right ventricular compression is uncommon. We herein report a case of 73-year-old woman seen in the ED with generalized weakness and hypotension. ⋯ The pericardial effusion resolved after the administration of thyroid replacement therapy. This case reveals the importance of including hypothyroidism in the differential diagnosis of pericardia effusion.
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Löfgren's syndrome is an acute-onset presentation of sarcoidosis that can be easily missed in an ED setting. A case is reported of Löfgren's syndrome presenting as erythema nodosum with bilateral ankle oedema. Although rare, this diagnosis should be considered when examining a patient with erythema nodosum and articular symptoms.
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This pilot study examines the prevalence of cardiac risk factors in a cohort of agricultural workers, assesses their knowledge of local emergency health services and investigates their decision-making abilities with regard to when and how they would seek help when experiencing chest pain. ⋯ This cohort of agricultural workers were at considerable risk of experiencing acute coronary events, but many would make decisions about when and how to seek medical help for chest pain that are at odds with published community guidelines. These results highlight the need for education to improve knowledge of local emergency services and address behavioural barriers to accessing care.