The American journal of emergency medicine
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Case Reports
Extracorporeal circulation in the management of severe tricyclic antidepressant overdose.
Extracorporeal circulation is a technique that provides precise control of circulation, oxygenation, temperature, and blood composition in patients suffering from cardiopulmonary failure. The investigators present the case of a near fatal tricyclic antidepressant overdose that failed to respond to standard therapy but was resuscitated using extracorporeal circulation.
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Letter Case Reports
Emergent femoral vein cannulation: report of a serious and unusual complication.
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The case of a 57-year-old male athlete who developed acute hyponatremia during participation in a 100 mile ultra-marathon is discussed. The initial presentation was one of rapid neurological deterioration and transient cardiovascular instability. ⋯ With increasing interest in ultra-endurance events, the incidence of acute hyponatremia may increase. It is important that emergency physicians recognize this phenomenon and be familiar with the principles of acute intervention.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Ketamine in the treatment of bronchospasm during mechanical ventilation.
The effect of ketamine on bronchospasm during mechanical ventilation was evaluated in a prospective, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Fourteen mechanically ventilated patients with bronchospasm were randomly allocated to either ketamine 1 mg/kg or saline placebo. In the ketamine-treated patients, PO2 increased from 10.5 (+/- 0.5) kPa to 16.4 (+/- 2.7) kPa (P < .05), whereas PO2 in the placebo-treated patients remained unchanged. ⋯ The pulmonary stethoscopic bronchospasm improved immediately after the administration of ketamine, whereas the thoracic compliance remained unchanged. In conclusion, the ketamine-treated patients showed an improvement by stethoscopic examination, in PO2 and in PCO2, suggesting that ketamine might be useful in the treatment of bronchospasm during mechanical ventilation. However, further studies are required to decide whether ketamine should be considered the drug of choice in patients with severe bronchospasm during ventilator treatment.