The American journal of emergency medicine
-
Bariatric surgery complications carry a high rate of morbidity and mortality. ⋯ Understanding bariatric surgery complications can assist emergency clinicians in diagnosing and managing this potentially deadly disease.
-
Characterizing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, RSV infections deviated from a previously reliable epidemiologic pattern of presentation. To investigate whether this change in RSV seasonality resulted in a change in frequency and severity of RSV infections, this single center retrospective study compares demographic and hospital factors during RSV seasons before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ During the first three RSV seasons after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our pediatric emergency departments saw more RSV positive patients than in the last three seasons beforehand. These patients were significantly older and less likely to be admitted, which may be partly due to increased respiratory viral testing during the pandemic. However, shorter LOS and decreased intubations despite increased respiratory support among admitted patients may indicate a paradigm shift in emergency department and inpatient management of severe RSV infections, perhaps encouraged by practice changes and resource limitations due to COVID-19. This information may better guide institutions in predicting resource needs after large-scale infectious disease outbreaks in the future.
-
Case Reports
High homocysteine levels as potential indicators of subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord.
Homocysteine (Hcy) is widely recognized as a significant risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, our research has uncovered a novel perspective, suggesting that elevated levels of Hcy could serve as an indicator for neurological diseases. This article presents a unique case of Subacute Combined Degeneration of the spinal cord(SCD), characterized by high homocysteine levels, yet normal vitamin B12 and imaging results. This discovery could facilitate early detection and ensure timely referral of patients to specialized departments for further treatment.
-
The aim of this study is to evaluate gender perception among patients in the emergency department (ED) and to examine the effect of gender perception on patients' preference of physician's gender. ⋯ In the context of emergency settings and general examinations, approximately three-quarters of the participants indicated no preference regarding the gender of the physician. However, in the case of sensitive medical issues, the proportion of participants with no gender preference was less than half. For patients with a gender preference for their physician, perception of gender is a significant predictor.
-
To describe the characteristics and causes of non-aneurysmal thunderclap headache (TCH) and compare serious from benign underlying causes. ⋯ Our study describes the relative frequency of presentation and etiologies among patients with TCH This score can aide clinicians in recognising patients with potentially serious cause of TCH, for whom additional imaging and neurological consultation is necessary.