The American journal of emergency medicine
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Case Reports
Anaphylaxis followed by unilateral lung opacity and hypocomplementemia in a young female.
A 36-year-old woman was stung in the right wrist by a bee, suffered typical anaphylaxis, and was transferred to a local hospital. After a few hours, which corresponded to late-onset reaction, she developed shortness of breath and weakness and was transferred to the emergency department, where the diagnosis of anaphylaxis was confirmed. Serum complement levels, components C3 and C4, were undetectable. ⋯ The most likely explanation is a very rare case of airway obstruction. To our knowledge, this is the only reported case of anaphylaxis associated with undetectable serum complement levels. The potential role and diagnostic significance of hypocomplementemia in cases of anaphylaxis should be further investigated.
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We report a 30-year-old man who developed severe anaphylactic reactions with sustained ventricular tachycardia after eating seafood. This case emphasizes the need for cardiac monitoring in patients with anaphylaxis to identify malignant ventricular arrhythmias early.
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Digitized assessment of the degree of consciousness is a universal challenge in emergency departments (EDs) and intensive care units (ICUs). The middle latency auditory-evoked potential index (MLAEPi) monitor aepEX plus (Audiomex, Glasgow, Scotland, UK) is the first mobile middle latency auditory-evoked potential monitor. We speculated that the initial MLAEPi determined on arrival at EDs could indicate cerebral function and predict the degree of consciousness of comatose patients. ⋯ The MLAEPi (simple numerical value) may be used to evaluate the degree of consciousness in comatose patients while performing emergency care in EDs.
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Catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy, including takotsubo, neurogenic stunned myocardium, and pheochromocytoma-related cardiomyopathy, is a reversible and generally benign condition. We are reporting a case series of young women who had cardiogenic shock and pulmonary edema due to severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction, which completely recovered in the course of 2 to 3 weeks. ⋯ We suggest that screening for pheochromocytoma should be considered in patients who present with takotsubo cardiomyopathy without obvious cause. Most importantly, widely used intravenous catecholamines may cause severe transient left ventricular dysfunction, and consideration should be given to noncatecholamine vasopressors.