The American journal of emergency medicine
-
Lyme disease is the most frequently reported vector-borne illness in the United States. It is caused by infection with Borrelia burgdorferi via the bite of an infected blacklegged tick (Ixodes spp.) Lyme disease has three stages: early localized, early disseminated, and late. Early disseminated Lyme disease may include neurologic manifestations such as cranial nerve palsy, meningitis, and radicular pain (also called radiculoneuritis). ⋯ The symptoms resolved with oral doxycycline. Neuropathic pain should raise suspicion for neurologic manifestations of Lyme disease in North America even in the absence of meningitis and cranial nerve palsy. We report how timely recognition of this rare syndrome in North America is important and may prevent progression to late disease.
-
Adult epiglottitis is a serious condition that carries with it a high rate of morbidity and even mortality due to airway occlusion. ⋯ An understanding of epiglottitis can assist emergency clinicians in diagnosing and managing this potentially deadly disease.
-
Review
Impact of COVID-19 on emergency department management of stroke and STEMI. A narrative review.
The novel coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in a global pandemic; COVID-19 has resulted in significant challenges in the delivery of healthcare, including emergency management of multiple diagnoses, such as stroke and ST-segment myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of this study was to identify the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency department care of stroke and STEMI patients. ⋯ Our analysis, using a narrative review format, indicates that there was not a significant change in time required for key interventions for stroke and STEMI emergent management, including imaging (door-to-CT), tPA administration (door-to-needle), angiographic reperfusion (door-to-puncture), and percutaneous coronary intervention (door-to-balloon). Potential future areas of investigation include how emergency department (ED) stroke and STEMI care has adapted in response to different COVID-19 variants and stages of the pandemic, as well as identifying strategies used by EDs that were successful in providing effective emergency care in the face of the pandemic.
-
Patients experiencing an intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) on oral anticoagulants often require rapid reversal. This study evaluated patients taking factor Xa inhibitors or warfarin that received reversal with 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) for an ICH. The objective of the study was to determine if the efficacy of 4F-PCC for the reversal of factor Xa inhibitors is noninferior to its use in warfarin reversal in patients with ICH. ⋯ The efficacy of 4F-PCC in reversing factor Xa inhibitor-related ICH compared to warfarin-related ICH was not significantly different between groups; however, these results did not prove noninferiority. Further study is warranted to delineate 4F-PCC's role in reversing factor Xa inhibitors in patients with ICH.