Annals of emergency medicine
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Review Case Reports
Unexpected sudden death in a young pregnant woman: unusual presentation of neurosarcoidosis.
We report the case of a young, previously healthy woman who was brought to the emergency department in cardiac arrest and who died despite resuscitative efforts. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be sarcoidosis of the brain stem and cerebellum with secondary obstructive hydrocephalus. Neurosarcoidosis presenting as sudden death has not previously been reported. A review of the medical conditions that may precipitate sudden death in young adults is presented.
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Airway compromise is the most common cause of death and severe morbidity in acutely ill and injured children. Rapid-sequence intubation (RSI) is a technique for emergency airway control designed to maximize successful endotracheal intubation while minimizing the adverse physiologic effects of this procedure. RSI requires familiarity with patient evaluation, airway-management techniques, sedation agents, neuromuscular blocking agents, additional adjunctive agents, and postintubation management techniques. Emergency physicians should use RSI techniques in the endotracheal intubation of critically ill children.