Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2013
Effects of obesity on patient experience in the emergency department.
The study aims to determine if obesity (body mass index ≥30.0 kg/m(2) ) adversely affects the patients' ED experience in terms of flow variables and rates of assistance, investigation and procedure. ⋯ In this single-centre study, obesity did not appear to adversely affect ED treatment. The observed differences in some investigation rates might relate to suspected morbidities and difficulties in physical examination.
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Urinary retention is a common acute presentation for men in their later decades. Potential contributing pathologies are numerous. We report an unusual case of acute urinary retention requiring catheterisation secondary to sacral herpes zoster reactivation (S2-4) in an 88-year-old man with minimal preceding obstructive symptoms.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2013
Case ReportsBenign acute childhood myositis following human parainfluenza virus type-1 infection.
Benign acute childhood myositis (BACM) is a post-respiratory tract infection condition of school-age children. Presentation is typically with acute onset calf pain and tenderness and refusal to walk or altered gait during the convalescent period of an influenza A or B infection. We describe a unique cluster of children with BACM following infection with human parainfluenza 1 virus, with no evidence of influenza A or B infection. ⋯ This is the first report to describe a cluster of human parainfluenza virus type-1 associated BACM. We discuss the presentation, clinical examination and investigation results of the children identified. Furthermore, we review the current research surrounding BACM, overview the clinical presentation to healthcare professionals, and present an interesting case of a child presenting for the second time with BACM.