The American journal of emergency medicine
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Sunitinib-associated hyperammonemic encephalopathy has not been previously reported in the emergency medicine literature. As newer treatments for cancer become more widespread and patients live longer, the emergence of previously unreported or rare adverse effects is expected to increase. Here we report the case of a 71-year-old woman with infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast with metastasis to the liver who developed hyperammonemic encephalopathy after taking sunitinib for 12 days. ⋯ The patient was followed for three months post hospitalization without recurrence of symptoms. Patients on sunitinib should have their ammonia levels checked when presenting to the ED with altered mentation for early identification of hyperammonemic encephalopathy and its potential complications, such as seizures, brain edema, and death. Emergent management in the ED should include initiation of lactulose and consultation with the gastroenterology team.
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When emergency physicians see new patients in an ad libitum system, they see fewer patients as the shift progresses. However, it is unclear if this reflects a decreasing workload, as patient assessments often span many hours. We sought to investigate whether the size of a physician's queue of active patients similarly declines over a shift. ⋯ Emergency physicians in an ad libitum system tend to see new patients until reaching a stable roster of active patients. This pattern may help explain why physicians see fewer new patients over the course of a shift, should be factored into models of throughput, and suggests new avenues for evaluating relationships between physician workload, patient safety, physicians' well-being, and the quality of care.
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Evaluation of suspected septic arthritis of the native adult knee is a common diagnostic dilemma. Pre-aspirate criteria predictive of septic arthritis do not exist for the adult knee and investigations of aspiration results (cell count, differential, gram stain and crystal analysis) have been limited to univariate analyses. Given numerous clinical variables inform the risk of septic arthritis, multivariable analysis that incorporates all clinically available information is critical to allowing accurate decision-making. ⋯ When evaluating for septic arthritis of a native adult knee, several independent associations were identified for variables related and unrelated to joint aspiration. The associated multivariable model discriminated very well between patients with and without septic arthritis, outperforming previous univariate assessments. A web-based tool was created that estimates the probability of septic arthritis based on this model. This may aid decision-making in complex clinical scenarios.
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High-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays (hs-cTn) aid in diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). These assays have lower specificity for non-ST Elevation MI (NSTEMI) in patients with renal disease. Our objective was to determine an optimized cutoff for patients with renal disease. ⋯ An eGFR-adjusted baseline rule-in threshold for the Siemens Atellica hs-cTnI improves specificity with identical sensitivity. Further study in a prospective cohort with higher rates of renal disease is warranted.
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Among patients with a known peanut allergy, previous studies suggest low carrying rates of epinephrine auto-injectors (EAIs) and hesitancy to self-administer epinephrine upon anaphylaxis onset. Given the high prescription rates of epinephrine and prevalence of peanut allergies, it is important to identify rates of on-scene EAI use and affecting factors. ⋯ This study selected for individuals diagnosed with anaphylaxis, meaning EAI use should have been observed nearly 100% of the time. An administration rate of 22.6% observed among individuals not identified as health care professionals suggests that the majority of patients prescribed epinephrine have not used their EAIs, even when presented an opportunity for application. The administration rate of 100% observed among health care professionals indicates that comfort with EAIs facilitates willingness to administer on-scene. EAIs can range up to $900 in expense, thus physicians should employ EAI training devices and other training strategies.