The American journal of emergency medicine
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The patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction are primarily managed with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or thrombolysis. It is well accepted that rescue PCI should be implemented in case of unsuccessful thrombolysis. However, the reverse, rescue thrombolysis, that is, administering of thrombolytic therapy in a patient in whom primary PCI fails, is not well defined. ⋯ He was found to have occlusion of both right coronary artery and left anterior descending artery and managed with rescue thrombolysis. It was subsequently recognized that he had concurrent stroke caused by posterior cerebral artery (PCA) occlusion and improved with thrombolysis. It is reported for the first time that rescue thrombolysis has been put into practice and yielded great result after unsuccessful primary PCI.
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Case Reports
Endotoxin adsorption by polymyxin B column or intraaortic balloon pumping use for severe septic cardiomyopathy.
Septic patients often have low cardiac output. Some of them present severe cardiac dysfunction such as septic cardiomyopathy. However, no well-known and effective treatment for septic cardiomyopathy exists. ⋯ In contrast, IABP had no effect at all in case 2 with viral enteritis, but PMXDHP improved her blood pressure and stroke volume markedly. The probability of impaired coronary microcirculation and relative bradycardia is the least required conditions for IABP use in severe septic cardiomyopathy. Meanwhile, PMX-DHP could be a good option for septic cardiomyopathy because of its fewer complications.
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A solitary brainstem abscess is a rare fatal intracranial infection, which can be mistaken for an acute stroke complicated with a systemic infection. Dental caries without abscess formation can be a possible source of infection. Herein, we describe the case of a 59-year-old man with dental caries who presented with a 4-day history of progressive dizziness, double vision, gait ataxia, emesis, and left facial and body numbness. ⋯ Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and diffusion-weighted imaging demonstrated a solitary pontine abscess. The neurologic deficits continued improvement after he completed 8 weeks of intravenous antibiotics. The successful nonsurgical treatment of the brainstem abscess in this case was based on high clinical suspicion, early diagnosis, and early combination of corticosteroids and broad spectrum antibiotics.
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Compartment syndrome usually occurs in the muscles of an extremity as a consequence of trauma or reperfusion. However, it can also occur from minor injuries with resulting hematoma. We reviewed the charts of 5 individuals who presented to the emergency department after minimal or no known trauma and were ultimately diagnosed with acute compartment syndrome. ⋯ Low-impact trauma can cause acute compartment syndrome in the lower extremities. These cases could be the result of muscle hemorrhage and subsequent hematoma formation, rather than muscle swelling itself. Anticoagulation therapy can increase the risk of hemorrhage.
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Clinical Trial
A descriptive study of myoclonus associated with etomidate procedural sedation in the ED.
Myoclonus is a well-recognized side effect of etomidate when given in induction doses for rapid sequence intubation. Most of the data reported on myoclonus with emergency department (ED) sedation doses are reported as a secondary finding. ⋯ Myoclonus associated with sedation doses of etomidate was common but rarely interfered with the completion of a procedure.