The American journal of emergency medicine
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Horton's disease is a systemic inflammatory vasculitis, usually found in persons over 50years old. It affects medium and large-sized arteries stemming from the external carotid, especially the superficial temporal arteries. It can affect extracranial large vessels but only rarely the aorta. Diagnosis of aortitis is difficult and its incidence is probably underestimated. ⋯ In the present case, this patient had Horton's disease, based on 3 criteria of The American College of Rheumatology (age, temporal artery abnormalities and inflammatory syndrome) associated with aortitis. However, aortitis is a rare complication of Horton disease and is a major cause of mortality inasmuch as it can be complicated by aneurysm and dissection. It is unusual to diagnose Horton's disease from aortitis symptoms without complications. The aorta represents the most severe localization of Horton's disease. It should not be ignored in etiological hypotheses regarding febrile abdominal pain in the elderly. Corticosteroids should be started rapidly at high doses and temporal artery biopsy should be planned.
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Review
Using a new plateau hyperbaric chamber to alleviate high altitude hypoxia: Rabbit and human studies.
To validate the effects of the new plateau hyperbaric chamber on alleviating high altitude hypoxia on Mount Kun Lun. ⋯ The new multiplace plateau hyperbaric chamber may be used to alleviate plateau hypoxia by increasing patient PaO2. However, its value in treating AMS must be confirmed in field conditions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Ultrasound-guided interscalene nerve block vs procedural sedation by propofol and fentanyl for anterior shoulder dislocations.
Few studies were performed to compare ultrasound guided brachial plexus block with procedural sedation for reduction of shoulder dislocations in the Emergency Department (ED). This study was done to provide further evidence regarding this comparison. ⋯ Using ISBPB for reduction of anterior shoulder dislocations takes less time to discharge and may make it more feasible in conditions mandating faster discharge of the patient. However, since pain scores may be lower using PSA, this method may be preferred by many physicians in some other situations.
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The management of overdoses of cardioactive medications in the emergency department can be challenging. The reversal of severe toxicity from one or more types of cardioactive medication may fail maximal medical therapies and require extreme invasive measures such as transvenous cardiac pacing and extracorporeal life support. ⋯ Extracorporeal life support was initiated and resulted in successful organ perfusion and complete recovery of the patient. This case highlights the potential utility of extracorporeal life support in cases of severe toxicity due to multiple cardioactive medications.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of outcomes for pediatric paraphimosis reduction using topical anesthetic versus intravenous procedural sedation.
Paraphimosis is an acute urologic emergency requiring urgent manual reduction, frequently necessitating procedural sedation (PS) in the pediatric population. The present study sought to compare outcomes among pediatric patients undergoing paraphimosis reduction using a novel topical anesthetic (TA) technique versus PS. ⋯ Paraphimosis reduction using TA was safe and effective. Compared to PS, TA was associated with a reduced ED LOS and fewer adverse events. TA could potentially allow more timely reduction with improved patient experience and resource utilization.