The American journal of emergency medicine
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The aim of this study was to assess the performance of 3 different influenza-like illness (ILI) case definitions, adopted by the European (European-CDC), USA (USA-CDC), and Taiwan Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (Taiwan-CDC), as screening tools for influenza during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. ⋯ First-line physicians should recognize the advantage and limitation of different ILI case definitions in influenza screening, especially confronted by pandemic or highly pathogenic avian influenza in the future.
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Charles Bonnet syndrome describes visual field or acuity loss with complex hallucinations. This typically occurs in the elderly with preexisting visual impairment. We describe a patient who presented to the emergency department with acute hemianopsia and intermittent complex hallucinations. ⋯ Results of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the head with contrast were negative. Standard 30-minute electroencephalography revealed near-continuous epileptiform discharges in the left occipital lobe. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of new-onset seizure presenting as Charles Bonnet syndrome.
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Amiodarone is a widely used antiarrythmic drug for various atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. It has the potential to cause prolongation of the QT interval, which, in turn, can increases the incidence of torsade de pointes. ⋯ Other causes of QT prolongation as electrolyte abnormalities or administration of other drugs that prolong the QT interval were excluded. Awareness of this phenomenon and method of calculation of QT interval in this scenario is of utmost importance.
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Although trauma-induced simple pubic ramus fracture is common in the emergency department (ED), it can result in life-threatening hemorrhagic shock. We describe a 58-year-old woman with closed minimally displaced simple pubic ramus fracture. ⋯ She was successfully treated with transarterial embolization and discharged uneventfully 10 days later. Literature review showed involvement of the superior pubic ramus in all reported cases probably because of hemorrhage from “corona mortis” with delay in shock presentation mostly within 6 hours, suggesting at least an equivalent observation period for these patients, particularly those at high risk for hemorrhage.
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Case Reports
Acute confusion in headache with neurologic deficits and cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis syndrome.
Abrupt headaches with focal neurologic deficits usually indicate medical emergencies that require advanced investigations and prompt treatment. The distinct syndrome of “headache with neurologic deficits and cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis” (HaNDL) is infrequent and considered a benign, self-limited disorder. ⋯ The diagnosis was made carefully by exclusion of other likely entities. It is important for clinical physicians to differentiate HaNDL from other potentially fatal.