The American journal of emergency medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Association between body mass index and clinical outcomes of patients after cardiac arrest and resuscitation: A meta-analysis.
Obesity as one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases increases mortality in general population. Several clinical studies investigated clinical outcomes in patients with different body mass index (BMI) after cardiac arrest (CA). Controversial data regarding BMI on clinical outcomes in those patients exist in those studies. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of BMI on survival condition and neurological prognosis in those patients. ⋯ Low BMI was associated with lower survival rate in CA patients. Overweight was associated with a higher survival rate and better neurological recovery. Clinical outcomes did not differ between obese and normal weight patients. Further studies are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms.
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Case Reports
Chemotherapy patient with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome presents to the Emergency Department: A case report.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is part of a continuum of severe mucocutaneous reactions, commonly thought to be triggered by certain medications. The syndrome itself is characterized by diffuse necrosis and detachment of the epidermis. ⋯ While Stevens-Johnson syndrome has been a rare toxicity, it is potentially fatal. The emergency physician should pay special attention cancer patients presenting with suspicious rashes and carefully review their medications.
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According to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), intramuscular hematoma without other severity criteria is not considered a major bleeding. ⋯ We showed that half of the patients admitted with intramuscular hematoma could not be qualified as having ISTH-criteria major bleeding. Interestingly, these patients displayed a similar hospitalization duration and rate of re-bleeding to those with ISTH-criteria major bleeding.
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Acute renal infarction is a relatively rare and scarcely reported condition. Contrast enhanced CT scan is essential for diagnosing this condition. The most common etiology of this condition is cardioembolic, however up to 59% of cases could be classified as idiopathic acute renal infarction. ⋯ Work-up for common etiologies was negative and the renal infarction was presumed to be idiopathic. He was discharged home on Enoxaparin. In conclusion, acute renal infarction is a rare condition which should be suspected in patients presenting with acute flank/abdominal pain in whom the more common etiologies have been ruled out.