The American journal of emergency medicine
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Case Reports
Cardiac tamponade secondary to purulent pericarditis diagnosed with the aid of emergency department ultrasound.
Purulent pericarditis is a rare but devastating disease process and even when treated, carries a poor prognosis. Cardiac tamponade is the most severe complication of purulent pericarditis and without acute surgical intervention, is often fatal. Diagnosis requires pericardiocentesis; however, early consideration of the disease and its complications in the emergency department (ED) can be life-saving. ⋯ Both blood and pericardial cultures grew methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. Despite a complicated hospital course, with appropriate antibiotic coverage and surgical intervention, the patient was discharged in good neurologic condition. This rare case of purulent pericarditis underscores the utility of bedside ultrasound in the ED and the complicated nature of altered mental status in intravenous drug users.
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Risk factors for unplanned transfer to the intensive care unit after emergency department admission.
Unplanned Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission has been used as a surrogate marker of adverse events, and is used by the Australian Council of Healthcare Accreditation as a reportable quality indicator. If we can identify independent variables predicting deterioration which require ICU transfer within 24h after emergency department (ED) admission, direct ICU admission should be considered. This may improve patient safety and reduce adverse events by appropriate disposition of patients presenting to the ED. ⋯ In patients presenting to the ED, hypercapnia was a predictor for deterioration which requires ICU transfer within 24h after ED admission. Additional predicting factors in patients with sepsis or pneumonia were respectively tachypnea and low oxygen saturation. For these patient groups direct ICU admission should be considered to prevent unplanned ICU admission. This data emphasizes the importance of measuring the vital signs, particularly the respiratory rate.
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Many bacteria are demonstrating increasing levels of resistance to commonly used antibiotics. While this has implications for the healthcare system as a whole, many patients infected with these resistant organisms will initially present to the emergency department (ED). The purpose of this review is to provide a summary of current trends in infections caused by the most clinically relevant resistant organisms encountered in emergency medicine. ⋯ Antibiotic resistance is increasing and poses significant a risk to both the patient and public health as a whole. Appropriate choice of initial antibiotic is important in improving clinical outcomes, which is often the role of the ED provider. On a broader level, the ED must also take part in institutional efforts such as Antibiotic Stewardship Programs, which have been shown to decrease costs and rates of infection with resistant organisms. Ultimately, a multifaceted approach will be required to curb the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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Review Case Reports
Review of potential drug interaction between Oseltamivir and Warfarin and why it is important for emergency medicine physicians.
Oseltamivir is a very commonly prescribed anti-viral medication by the Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians for the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of Influenza infection. While the drug interaction of Warfarin with various antibiotics is known, the drug interaction between Oseltamivir and Warfarin is not common. We present a case where an 83-year female patient, on Warfarin for Pulmonary Embolism, had worsening of coagulopathy after she was started on Oseltamivir. ⋯ Our patient did not have any minor or major bleeding complication. This is the first reported case of Oseltamivir related worsening coagulopathy in patient on Warfarin to the best of our knowledge. Keeping in mind the possible interaction between the two as it was evident in our case and few other published reports, we recommend monitoring the INR closely in patients using Warfarin after they are started on Oseltamivir therapy.