The American journal of emergency medicine
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Endovascular cooling using the femoral cooling catheter is widely practiced. Central venous pressure (CVP) monitoring in patients undergoing femoral endovascular cooling may require the placement of another catheter near the right atrium (RA). We sought to estimate the agreement between the CVP recorded from catheters placed in the superior vena caval pressure (SVCP) and the inferior vena caval pressure (IVCP) recorded from the femoral cooling catheter in patients undergoing femoral endovascular cooling. ⋯ Inferior vena caval pressure measured via the femoral cooling catheter showed excellent agreement with CVP recorded from catheters placed in the SVC, which indicates that the femoral cooling catheter can be used for monitoring CVP.
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Bradykinin-mediated angioedema (AE) is characterized by periodic subcutaneous or submucosal swelling, with the absence of urticaria and itching. It affects the face and extremities. Attacks of abdominal pain and obstruction of the upper airways are the hallmarks of disease severity. The aim of this study was to determine the factors prompting patients to turn up at the hospital emergency department (ED) in the event of an attack. ⋯ First attack of bradykinin AE and swelling of the larynx were significantly associated with visits to the ED.
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The purpose of this study was to define whether the semiquantitative analysis of hemoperitoneum increases the accuracy of early prediction of massive transfusion (MT). ⋯ The assessment of the size of hemoperitoneum on admission substantially improves the prediction of MT in trauma patients and should be used to trigger and guide initial haemostatic resuscitation.
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Lemierre syndrome is a potentially life-threatening septic thrombophlebitis associated with a neck infection. We present a case of a 10-month-old female infant with Lemierre syndrome complicated by thrombotic strokes and purulent pericarditis. A healthy 10-month-old female infant presented to the pediatric emergency department of our tertiary care center complaining of 5 days of fever to 105°F and 1 day of neck stiffness and decreased oral intake. ⋯ She has recovered with minimal permanent sequelae. This is one of the youngest cases of Lemierre syndrome documented. To our knowledge, it is also the first case complicated by purulent pericarditis reported in the literature.
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An increase in the intracranial pressure (ICP) might aggravate patient outcomes by inducing neurologic injuries. In patients with increased ICP the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) increases due to its close association with the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. The present study was an attempt to evaluate the efficacy of sonographic ONSD in estimating ICP of patients who are candidates for lumbar puncture (LP). ⋯ The sonographic diameter of the optic nerve sheath might be considered a strong and accurate predicting factor for increased intracranial pressure.