The American journal of emergency medicine
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Case Reports
Siblings with pediatric sodium chlorite toxicity causing methemoglobinemia, renal failure and hemolytic anemia.
Over the past decade, Miracle Mineral Solution (sodium chlorite) has been promoted as a cure-all for many conditions. ⋯ These are the 7th and 8th reported cases of sodium chlorite toxicity by ingestion and the second and third in children. Takeaway for Physicians: Miracle Mineral Solution is a commonly purchased potentially lethal compound that can cause methemoglobinemia with respiratory failure, hemolytic anemia requiring transfusion and renal failure requiring dialysis.
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Meta Analysis
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio on admission to predict the severity and mortality of COVID-19 patients: A meta-analysis.
The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an inflammatory marker, was suggested to be predictive of severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Here, we investigated whether NLR levels on admission could predict the severity and mortality of COVID-19 patients. ⋯ High NLR levels on admission were associated with severe COVID-19 and mortality. Further studies need to focus on determining the optimal cut-off value for NLR before clinical use.
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Situs inversus with dextrocardia is both a clinical and diagnostic challenge for emergency physicians to properly identify acute coronary syndrome. While dextrocardia itself does not independently increase the risk of coronary artery disease, mirrored symptoms, including right-sided and rightward radiating chest pain in any patient with cardiac risk factors should raise suspicion for acute coronary syndrome. ⋯ The authors present a case of a 66-year-old man with dextrocardia who presented with shortness of breath and hypotension. Rapid application of a reversed electrocardiogram resulted in the timely diagnosis of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and activation of the cardiac catheterization laboratory resulting in the preservation of this patient's life.
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Observational Study
The association between L1 skeletal muscle index derived from routine CT and in-hospital mortality in CAP patients in the ED.
Low muscle mass is associated with an increased mortality risk due to medical comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Computed tomography (CT) has been identified as the gold standard for measuring body composition. We evaluated the relationship between the L1 SMI measured from CT and in-hospital mortality in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). ⋯ SMI assessment at L1 is achievable in patients with CAP receiving routine chest CT, and the L1 SMI is associated with high in-hospital mortality, more hospitalizations and ventilator application in patients with CAP in the ED. This could help establish an early strategy for critical care of patients with L1 SMI obtained by chest CT for diagnosis in CAP patients in the ED.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The effectiveness of intradermal sterile water injection for low back pain in the emergency department: A prospective, randomized controlled study.
Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal complaint among emergency department (ED) admissions. In this study, it was aimed to compare the effectiveness of systemic treatment with intradermal sterile water injection (ISWI) treatment protocol combined with systemic therapy in patients with LBP of unclear chronicity. ⋯ In this unblinded study, ISWI with systemic therapy improved pain outcomes more than systemic therapy alone. Further research is needed to determine whether this was due entirely to placebo effect.