Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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Acute painful episodes are the most common reason for emergency department visits among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Early and aggressive pain management is a priority. Emergency providers (EPs) must also diagnose other emergent diagnoses in patients with SCD and differentiate them from vaso-occlusive crisis. ⋯ Administration of intravenous fluids should be used judiciously. Blood transfusion may be considered. Coordination of care with hematology is an important part of the effective emergency department and long-term management of patients with SCD.
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Thrombocytopenia, strictly defined as a platelet count less than 150,000, is common in the emergency department. Recognition, diagnostic investigation, and proper disposition of a thrombocytopenic patient are imperative. ⋯ These thrombotic microangiopathies include thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and hemolysis, elevated liver enzyme levels, low platelet count (HELLP), which should be distinguished from similar disease processes such as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). In this article, clinical presentations, pathophysiology, diagnostic workup, management plans, complications, and dispositions are addressed for this complex group of platelet disorders.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Aug 2014
ReviewEvaluation and Management of Congenital Bleeding Disorders.
Patients presenting to the emergency department with acute bleeding and a history of clotting or platelet disorder present a unique challenge to the emergency physician. The severity of bleeding presentation is based on mechanism as well as factor levels: patients with factor levels greater than 5% can respond to most minor hemostatic challenges, whereas those with factor levels less than 1% bleed with minor trauma or even spontaneously. Treatment should be initiated in consultation with the patient's hematologist using medications and specific factor replacement, except in rare, life-threatening, resource-poor situations, when cryoprecipitate or activated prothrombin complex may be considerations.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Aug 2014
ReviewChemotherapeutic Medications and Their Emergent Complications.
Patients with complications of chemotherapy, either acute or chronic, are frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED). Some patients present with complaints immediately after chemotherapy administration, whereas others may show subtle, secondary signs or may have no signs or symptoms of chemotoxicity. An increased index of suspicion prompts early recognition, diagnosis, and prevention of further iatrogenic injury. This article reviews characteristic hypersensitivity reactions, typical organ system dysfunction, and treatment strategies for adult patients who present to the ED with complications after chemotherapy.
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Fever is a common presenting complaint among adult or pediatric patients in the emergency department setting. Although fever in healthy individuals does not necessarily indicate severe illness, fever in patients with neutropenia may herald a life-threatening infection. ⋯ Serious bacterial illness is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality for neutropenic patients. Neutropenic fever should trigger the initiation of a rapid work-up and the administration of empiric systemic antibiotic therapy to attenuate or avoid the progression along the spectrum of sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock syndrome, and death.