The American journal of emergency medicine
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Acute appendicitis is a common condition emergency physician encounter during pediatric emergency visits. With a reported incidence of 1 in 50,000 appendectomies, stump appendicitis, an acute inflammation of the residual appendicular tissue, is a rare post-operative complication. The diagnosis of stump appendicitis is time-critical to prevent associated morbidities of abscess formation, perforation and sepsis. ⋯ Intervals between attacks may vary from weeks to years during which the patient may be asymptomatic. Although recurrent appendicitis is rare, emergency physicians should be aware of this possibility and to not assume that previous appendectomy precludes recurrent appendicitis. This case highlights the importance of considering such unusual condition in a patient presenting with recurrent right-sided abdominal pain.
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Observational Study
Utility of plain abdominal radiography in adult ED patients with suspected constipation.
Abdominal radiographs are often obtained in ED patients with suspected constipation, although their utility in adults is not well understood. We sought to compare ED management when an abdominal radiograph is and is not obtained. ⋯ Plain abdominal radiography did not appear to significantly affect the ED management of patients presenting with constipation; it was common for patients to receive treatment that was in direct opposition to radiographic findings. Though a small number of patients had concerning diagnoses identified on plain radiography, the history and physical examination should have sufficiently excluded simple constipation, prompting an alternate diagnostic approach. Fecal loading on radiography does not preclude a more serious diagnosis. In conclusion, abdominal radiography appears to have low value in patients with constipation.
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The impact of patient delay on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), when system delay has performance that meets the current recommended guidelines, is poorly investigated. ⋯ When system delay meets the recommended criteria for pPCI, patient delay becomes an independent predictor of pre-discharge LVEF. These findings provide further insights into the potential optimization of STEMI management and identify a target that needs to be improved, considering that still a significant proportion of patients continue to delay seeking medical care.
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Proper use of automobile seat belt in a motor vehicle crash is associated with reduced morbidity and mortality, shorter hospital stays, reduced resource utilization, and fewer missed work days. Seatbelt compliance nationwide is 86%. This study was undertaken to identify factors associated with noncompliance with seatbelt use among admitted patients following a motor vehicle crash. ⋯ In this study, 32% of patients in motor vehicle crashes were not compliant with seat belt use. Noncompliance with seat belt use was higher among patients who were male, younger age, intoxicated, or who had positive screens for cocaine, THC, or methamphetamine.
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Several studies have indicated that acute myocardial infarction (AMI) secondary to coronary artery embolism (CE) has a poor prognosis. However, in the latter studies, CE of tumor origin accounts for a considerable proportion of cases and the clinical features and contribution to overall prognosis of non-tumor CE are unknown and therefore the subject of this study. ⋯ The overall incidence of non-tumor CE was 2.3%, with atrial fibrillation as its most common etiology. Midterm overall survival was similar between AMI patients secondary to non-tumor CE and those without CE.