The American journal of emergency medicine
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A healthy young man presented to the emergency department with mild hemoptysis associated with cannabis abuse. He was on no medications and cocaine abuse was ruled out by both history and negative toxicology screens. ⋯ The patient improved spontaneously within a few days, hemoptysis stopped and repeat imaging was entirely normal. With the increase in cannabis abuse and enhanced cannabis potency worldwide clinicians may increasingly encounter even unusual cannabis-associated adverse drug reactions, including associated diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.
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Thyroid gland rupture in a child secondary to blunt trauma is an extremely rare occurrence. The number of published cases of thyroid gland injuries in children is very limited in the research literature. ⋯ This case highlights potential life-threatening complications and reviews management of thyroid gland injuries. Based on this case and other published pediatric case reports, conservative management may be a reasonable approach in thyroid gland injuries from blunt neck trauma in children.
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Observational Study
Evaluating the effect of SARS-Cov-2 infection on prognosis and mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis.
Acute pancreatitis (AP) is the leading cause of hospitalization among gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of our study is to compare the results between AP patients with and without COVID-19, and to reveal the effects of COVID-19 on the course, intensive care needs and mortality of AP patients. ⋯ The severity and mortality of AP increase in patients with both AP and COVID-19. This rate increases even more in the presence of COVID-19-associated pneumonia. We believe that new strategies should be developed for the follow-up and treatment of patients with both these conditions.
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Dermal sinus tracts (DSTs) are rare congenital defects occurring along the cranial spinal axis. They may extend from the skin into the deeper structures of the central nervous system. ⋯ She was ultimately diagnosed with an infected intracranial dermal sinus tract. In this report, we provide a review of the literature on the diagnosis and management of this unique entity.
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Case Reports
Asymptomatic ventricular fibrillation in continuous flow left-ventricular assist device.
Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have increased survival for heart failure patients. Individuals with LVADs are a growing patient population with frequent complications and Emergency Department (ED) visits. A 50-year-old female presented to the ED due to a low flow alarm on her LVAD. ⋯ Amiodarone was continued as an outpatient. Patients with continuous flow LVADs can be in dysrhythmias including ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation and remain relatively asymptomatic. We present a rare case of a patient with an LVAD and ventricular fibrillation who was completely asymptomatic in the ED.