The American journal of emergency medicine
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Acute dyspnea affects a large heterogeneous patient group with high mortality and readmission rates. ⋯ A score of tPA, PRL, FAS and CCL3 predicts 6-month death and readmission in patients hospitalized for acute dyspnea and may prove useful to optimize length of stay and follow-up. Although the BRS outweighs dyspnea severity in prediction of the endpoint, its prognostic role is strongest in mild-moderate dyspnea.
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Takayasu arteritis is a form of vasculitis that involves the aorta, its major branches, and the pulmonary arteries. Coronary artery involvement is not uncommon, and most frequently includes the ostia and proximal segments. ⋯ However, recent advances in imaging modalities-including magnetic resonance angiography, computed tomography (CT), sonography, and fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/CT Isobe (2013) [2]-have facilitated earlier and more accurate diagnoses of this condition. Here we report a case in which imaging revealed stenosis in the ostia of the coronary artery.
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Case Reports
Not all ST-segment elevations are myocardial infarction: Hyperkalemia and Brugada phenocopy.
Several clinical conditions other than Brugada syndrome (BrS) can mimic acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and Brugada phenocopies are a part of those conditions that can mimic either true BrS or acute myocardial infarction. Our manuscript shows an interesting and didactic case report of type-1 Class A Brugada phenocopy (BrP) induced by hyperkalemia and allow us to teach the systematic approach to the proper diagnosis of BrP. A prompt recognition of this clinical and electrocardiographic entity may expedite the initiation of appropriate treatments as illustrated in this case report.
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Observational Study
Nasal flaring as a clinical sign of respiratory acidosis in patients with dyspnea.
To determine whether the presence of nasal flaring is a clinical sign of respiratory acidosis in patients attending emergency departments for acute dyspnea. ⋯ Nasal flaring is a clinical sign of severity in patients requiring urgent care for acute dyspnea, which has a strong association with acidosis and hypercapnia.