The American journal of emergency medicine
-
The aims of the study are to investigate the changes in platelet indexes, including platelet count, platelet distribution width (PDW), and mean platelet volume (MPV), in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and to evaluate their diagnostic values in relation to this disease. ⋯ Higher PDW and MPV levels are noticed in patients with PE. The combined application of MPV can improve the diagnostic value of d-dimer for PE.
-
Literature to date has suggested advantages of sedation with the combination of ketamine and propofol over ketamine alone or propofol alone. However, there is a paucity of data regarding sedation with the combination of ketamine and propofol in pediatric emergency medicine. ⋯ This is the largest reported series of sedation with the combination of ketamine and propofol in pediatric emergency medicine. Findings suggest that sedation with the combination of ketamine and propofol can be safely performed by a skilled emergency physician.
-
Case Reports
Anterior chamber depth measurement using ultrasound to assess elevated intraocular pressure.
Increased anterior chamber pressure also known as intraocular pressure can result from conditions such as glaucoma and trauma. The pressure in the anterior chamber is measured using tonometer. Measurement of the intraocular pressure is essential, as it requires immediate medical attention to alleviate pain and to avoid temporary or permanent damage to intraocular structures. ⋯ It has been used to assess intracranial pressure via optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and evaluate retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, or pupillary reflex in a trauma patient. We report 2 cases of patients with glaucoma and a case of a patient with trauma to the eye with swelling. Anterior chamber depth measurement was conducted and compared with measurements of intraocular pressure (IOP) using a tonometer.
-
A male patient presented with bronchospasm and acute respiratory distress. The patient had presented 2 previous episodes of severe bronchospasm following abdominal surgery, leading twice to intubation, mechanical ventilation, and conventional sedation. As the patient positively rejected a third episode of intubation + mechanical ventilation, noninvasive ventilation (pressure support = 8 cm H₂O, positive end-expiratory pressure = 10 cm H₂O), inhaled therapy, and clonidine orally (≈ 4 μg/kg) were combined. ⋯ Noninvasive ventilation was discontinued on the next morning (day 2). The patient was discharged from the critical care unit on day 3 on good condition but died at a later interval from iterative bronchospasm. Evidence-based documentation of the effects of alpha-2 agonists in the setting of acute bronchospasm in the emergency department or status asthmaticus in the critical care unit is awaited.
-
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), also referred to as pseudotumor cerebri, is a condition of raised intracranial pressure (ICP) with unknown etiology. Sonographic measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) has been shown to be a reliable, noninvasive method to characterize elevated ICP in a variety of settings. However, little is known about the immediate response of ONSD to an acute reduction in ICP after lumbar puncture. ⋯ Optic nerve sheath diameter measurements correlated with ICP as measured by opening and closing lumbar puncture pressures and showed an acute reduction in ONSD within 30 minutes after lumbar puncture. Sonographic measurement of ONSD reduction may be a novel, noninvasive and convenient way to follow acute reductions in ICP. Further investigation is necessary in order to validate this finding.