Acute medicine
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Fire smoke inhalation cause a wide range of symptoms immediately or after a relatively asymptomatic period. In this review, we will focus on delayed onset pulmonary edema (DOPE); the incidence and duration of potential delay. As the symptoms may not present immediately, seemingly healthy patients could be inadvertently be sent home. Therefore, many authors recommend observation for 6-24 hours depending on the extent of inhalation injury. ⋯ Delayed onset pulmonary edema can develop as late as 36 hours postinjury after a relatively uneventful phase. But it would have been rare to have been completely asymptomatic before developing pulmonary edema.
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Thyrotoxicosis is common and can present in numerous ways with patients exhibiting a myriad of symptoms and signs. It affects around 1 in 2000 people annually in Europe1. ⋯ In health, the production of these thyroid hormones is tightly regulated by the secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH; thyrotropin) from the pituitary gland. The term 'thyrotoxicosis' refers to the clinical manifestations of hyperthyroidism.
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Review Case Reports
Problem-based review: The patient with acute adrenal failure.
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Acute hemiparesis is a common cause of presentation to hospital. In the majority of cases the cause is acute stroke, which is ischaemic in 80% of cases. This article aims to provide the reader with a practical approach to the initial management of suspected stroke. The problem-based format highlights some of the specific questions raised in the 2009 curriculum for training in Acute Internal Medicine, with reference to recent guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
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A 46-year old lady presented to the AMU with chest pain and shortness of breath. She weighed 345 kg. She was normally mobile up to 10 metres but had become bedbound over the past week with increasing shortness of breath.