J Emerg Med
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Case Reports
Merging Patches, an Atypical Presentation of Disseminated Cutaneous Lyme Disease: A Case Report.
Lyme disease, spread by the Ixodes tick, is typically associated with a single "bull's eye rash" that emergency physicians are comfortable recognizing and treating during the summer months when this disease is most prevalent. However, Lyme disease can also present in disseminated forms that are more difficult to diagnose. ⋯ We describe a phenomenon of disseminated Lyme with multiple rash complexes that is unrecognized by clinicians. A 65-year-old woman with no prior medical history presented with flu-like symptoms including headache, nausea, and arthralgias, as well as a nonpruritic rash on her lower limbs. On physical examination, multiple red, blanching patches with a diameter of up to 20 cm were seen. Although she was initially thought to have a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug reaction as her skin biopsy for Borrelia burgdorferi was negative, an immunoglobulin M test for B. burgdorferi was found to be positive during her emergency department visit. Despite the diverging results, a diagnosis of early-disseminated Lyme was made. She was discharged home on a 3-week course of oral doxycycline, and a complete resolution of her symptoms was noted on a follow-up visit. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: With the incidence of Lyme disease and its atypical presentations on the rise, the emergency physician should be aware of the other rashes that are associated with this disease, particularly those associated with disseminated cutaneous Lyme. Early diagnosis of the disseminated forms of Lyme is critical to prevent the occurrence of life-threatening cardiovascular and neurological complications known to occur with this disease.
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Observational Study
Interleukin-6 as a Potential Predictor of Neurologic Outcomes in Cardiac Arrest Survivors Who Underwent Target Temperature Management.
Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine released in response to an inflammatory stimulus or tissue injury. IL-6 levels are known to increase in patients with brain injury. ⋯ Serum IL-6 level immediately after ROSC was a highly specific and sensitive marker for the 3-month poor neurologic outcome, and may be a useful early predictive marker of neurologic outcome in OHCA survivors treated with TTM.
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Case Reports
Fatal Yellow Oleander Poisoning Masquerading as Benign Candlenut Ingestion Taken for Weight Loss.
Candlenuts (Aleurites moluccana) and yellow oleander seeds (Thevetia peruviana) bear a physical resemblance to one another. Candlenuts are benign and marketed as weight loss supplements. Yellow oleander seeds, however, contain toxic cardioactive steroids; as few as 2 seeds may cause fatal poisoning. Because of their physical similarities, the potential for a lethal substitution exists. ⋯ A 63-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with vomiting after ingesting 5 of what she believed to be candlenuts that were ordered online under the colloquial name "Nuez de la India" for the purpose of weight loss. She was bradycardic (nadir pulse of 30 beats/min) and hyperkalemic (serum potassium 7.3 mEq/L). Within hours of presentation she suffered a ventricular fibrillation arrest, followed by a terminal asystolic arrest. Postmortem analyses of liver tissue and the seeds were consistent with fatal T. peruviana poisoning. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: T. peruviana seeds contain toxic cardioactive steroids; their physical resemblance to candlenuts poses a risk of potentially fatal substitution. Therapy with high-dose digoxin specific immune fragments (20-30 vials) may be helpful.
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Kikuchi disease, also known as Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease, is a rare, benign cause of cervical lymphadenitis. It is characterized by painful cervical lymphadenopathy with fevers, leukopenia, and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. It is diagnosed by obtaining a biopsy specimen from a lymph node that shows characteristic histopathologic findings. ⋯ We highlight a 42-year-old Japanese man who presented with persistent fevers and cervical lymphadenopathy who was misdiagnosed at multiple urgent care facilities and emergency departments. He was eventually diagnosed with Kikuchi disease after a biopsy specimen was obtained from a lymph node 1 month after his symptoms began. He was treated with hydroxychloroquine and prednisone with resolution of his symptoms. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Although Kikuchi disease has been previously described in various specialty medical journals, the published literature on Kikuchi disease in emergency medicine is relatively scarce. Given that cervical lymphadenopathy is a common presentation to emergency departments, it is important for emergency physicians to be cognizant of Kikuchi disease in the differential diagnosis of cervical lymphadenopathy to prevent misdiagnoses and unnecessary treatments.