Medicine
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The "cannot ventilate, cannot intubate" scenario during anesthesia induction can be lethal. We present a patient with an undiagnosed subglottic tumor who developed the "cannot ventilate, cannot intubate" situation after induction of general anesthesia, due to the presence of an undiagnosed subglottic tumor. A 93-year-old woman was brought to the operating room for repair of a femoral neck fracture. ⋯ Subglottic tumors can be misdiagnosed as asthma, because the clinical presentation can be very similar. If cricothyrotomy had been performed based on airway management algorithms, the airway may not have been controlled with a possibly fatal outcome. Ultrasound examination of the trachea may be useful to diagnose obstructive lesions in the airway.
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The aim of this study was to research whether the patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) exist intercondylar notch stenosis and the relationship between stenosis and OA complicated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A total of 79 cases of moderate-severe OA patients and 71 cases of healthy people were collected; among these OA patients, 38 were OA complicated with ACL injury and 41 were simple OA. The intercondylar notch was divided into A, U, and W types according to the notch shape in the axial sequence of MRI. ⋯ The intercondylar notch of moderate-severe OA patients exist significant stenosis. Type A is one of the variables that predispose a notch to stenosis. Intercondylar notch stenosis and type A are risk factors for moderate-severe OA patients complicated with ACL injury.
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Emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) is associated with ED crowding and related complications. Previous studies either analyzed single patient disposition groups or combined different endpoints as a whole. The aim of this study is to evaluate different effects of relevant factors affecting ED LOS among different patient disposition groups. ⋯ However, opposite results were noted for higher acuity (triage level I vs level V, TR = 0.532, P < 0.0001), pediatric nontrauma (TR = 0.375, P < 0.0001), transferred patients (TR = 0.852, P < 0.0001), and day shift arrival (TR = 0.88, P < 0.0001) in the admission patient group. Common influential factors such as age, patient entity, triage acuity level, or arrival time may have varying effects on different disposition groups of patients. These findings and the suggested model could be used for EDs to develop individually tailored approaches to minimize ED LOS and further improve ED crowding status.
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Review Case Reports
Calcineurin Inhibitors Associated Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome in Solid Organ Transplantation: Report of 2 Cases and Literature Review.
Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a rare neurologic side effect of calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) with poorly understood clinical features. We report cases of 2 patients with PRES developing after kidney transplantation and summarize PRES clinical features through a literature review. The 1st case was a 28-year-old man who received a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. ⋯ CNI-associated PRES has a generally favorable prognosis with early diagnosis and prompt treatment including alternating or discontinuing CNIs and blood pressure control. CNI-associated PRES should be considered in patients exhibiting acute neurological symptoms after transplantation. Early diagnosis and immediate treatment are critical for a favorable prognosis.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Proximal Femoral Nail Antirotation Versus Reverse Less Invasive Stabilization System-distal Femur for Treating Proximal Femoral Fractures: A Meta-analysis.
The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of 2 surgical techniques that are used to treat proximal femoral fractures. A systematic literature search (up to December 2014) was conducted in Medline, Embase, PubMed, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to screen for studies comparing proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) with less invasive stabilization system-distal femur (LISS-DF) for proximal femoral fractures. Two authors independently assessed the methodological quality of the included studies and extracted data. ⋯ No statistically significant difference was observed between the 2 groups for operative time, blood loss volume, Harris hip score, and incidence of complications. Based on the results of this analysis, we inferred that PFNA is safer and more effective than reverse LISS-DF in patients undergoing osteosynthesis for proximal femoral fractures, and that PFNA is associated with reduced hospital stays and reduced time to weight-bearing ambulation and bone healing. Nonetheless, in certain cases in which PFNA is not suitable due to abnormal structure of the proximal femur or particularly unstable fractures, the LISS plate technique could be a useful alternative.