J Emerg Med
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We identified factors associated with radiograph evaluation for patients who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with uncomplicated low back pain (LBP). Using 1998-2000 ED data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a multivariate analysis was performed to assess utilization of radiographs for LBP. ⋯ There is an increased probability of receiving a radiograph for those patients 40-70 years old, being seen at a metropolitan hospital, having private insurance, and being treated by a resident in training. Multiple factors are associated with the overuse of radiographs for patients presenting with uncomplicated LBP.
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Case Reports
Heterotopic gestation: another possibility for the emergency bedside ultrasonographer to consider.
Emergency bedside ultrasonography has become an important tool in differentiating an intrauterine from an ectopic pregnancy. As the odds of a heterotopic pregnancy were thought to be minute, some ultrasonographers and Emergency Physicians certified in bedside ultrasonography have taught that an intrauterine gestation with fetal heart tones clinches the diagnosis of intrauterine pregnancy. However, with the current rise in heterotopic gestations, this standard of care should be re-evaluated. If emergency bedside ultrasonography reveals an intrauterine gestation in the presence of either a moderate amount of free fluid in the pelvis or a co-existent ovarian cyst, one must consider and search for a heterotopic pregnancy.
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Classically described antimuscarinic poisoning signs and symptoms include mydriasis, decreased secretions, ileus, urinary retention, hyperthermia, tachycardia, and altered mental status. These features may be used clinically to assist in the diagnosis of patients with unknown poisonings. We sought to analyze the prevalence of antimuscarinic physical examination findings in evaluating patients presenting with acute poisoning from antimuscarinic agents. ⋯ At least one of these three signs was documented in 94% of our patients. The combination of tachycardia and decreased secretions was the most common pair of findings, recorded in 55.4% of cases. We conclude that the clinical presentation of antimuscarinic syndrome is variable.
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Case Reports
Cervical epidural abscess associated with massively elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
We present a case of an elderly woman who presented with neck pain, low-grade fever, bandemia, and a massively elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) who had a cervical epidural abscess. We believe that the selective use of ESR assisted in narrowing the differential diagnosis, as the patient had no neurological deficits and no predisposing factors such as distal infection, immunosuppression, trauma, or recent surgery. Furthermore, in the literature, an elevated ESR is consistently found in patients with epidural abscesses, whereas clinical findings such as fever, leukocytosis, and neurological deficits are only variably present.
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Hemotympanum is a well-known physical finding most often associated with basilar skull fractures and therapeutic nasal packing. A literature review demonstrated only five cases of hemotympanum associated with spontaneous epistaxis in adults. To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases in children. We present a case of a 7-year-old child with bilateral hemotympanums secondary to spontaneous epistaxis.