J Emerg Med
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Multicenter Study
National Early Warning Score Is Modestly Predictive of Care Escalation after Emergency Department-to-Floor Admission.
Decompensation on the medical floor is associated with increased in-hospital mortality. ⋯ This multicenter study found NEWS was superior to the qSOFA score and SI in predicting early, unplanned escalation of care for ED patients admitted to a general medical-surgical floor.
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Relying on a treatment threshold for methanol poisoning of 20 mg/dL (6.2 mmol/L) as a stand-alone criterion may lead to unnecessary and invasive treatment because it is likely too conservative, especially for patients with repeated, intentional methanol exposures. ⋯ Following recurrent, intentional methanol exposure, isolated serum methanol concentrations as high as 35 mg/dL (11 mmol/L) appear to be well-tolerated without treatment in the absence of metabolic acidosis or end-organ toxicity. To better define the methanol treatment threshold, prospective studies are warranted in which patients are followed closely while fomepizole is withheld.
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Case Reports
MitraClip-Associated Endocarditis: Emergency Department Diagnosis With Point of Care Ultrasound.
Management of mitral valve regurgitation in patients with multiple comorbidities is complicated because of poor surgical candidacy. Less invasive techniques for these patients include the MitraClip device, an endovascular repair option used to reduce mitral valve regurgitation symptoms. However, complications include leaflet damage, stenosis, and infectious endocarditis. ⋯ Four years after MitraClip placement, an 80-year-old man presented to the emergency department with progressive dyspnea. He was diagnosed with MitraClip-associated infectious endocarditis by the emergency physician using point-of-care ultrasound. There are 6 reported cases of infective endocarditis in patients with MitraClip devices, with this being the first case identified using point-of-care ultrasound. This is also the first reported case of MitraClip-associated Corynebacterium endocarditis. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: The use of the MitraClip device and its echocardiographic appearance is not widely described in the published emergency medicine literature. Knowledge of this device, its appearance, and the potential complications is essential for emergency physicians caring for these patients. Rapid diagnosis may lead to earlier initiation of treatment and optimal disposition for these complex patients.
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Hydatid cysts are caused by Echinococcus granulosus infection, and hydatidosis is recognized as a re-emerging zoonotic disease globally. While the liver is the most commonly affected organ, other organs can also be affected, including the heart. Because of the low sensitivity and specificity of serologic diagnostic tests, ultrasound and echocardiography are increasingly used to make the diagnosis of cardiac hydatid cyst. ⋯ We report the case of a cardiac hydatid cyst, detected by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), in a 79-year-old woman who presented with shortness of breath and was in ventricular tachycardia. The diagnosis was further confirmed with a computed tomography scan. Although cases of alveolar and liver hydatid cysts are seen, this is the first case of a cardiac hydatid cyst in Bhutan. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: This case illustrates the importance of POCUS in reaching a diagnosis, particularly in resource-poor areas where other sophisticated diagnostic tools are not easily available. A cardiac hydatid cyst must be in the differential for structural causes of dysrhythmias. This is especially so because treatment of unstable dysrhythmias in the acute setting of an emergency department has to be modified from the usual algorithm in the presence of a cardiac hydatid cyst, due to the potentially fatal risk of cyst rupture and anaphylaxis.