J Emerg Med
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Brugada syndrome is an increasingly recognized syndrome characterized by a particular electrocardiography (ECG) pattern and clinical criteria and has a high incidence of sudden death in patients with structurally normal hearts. The Brugada ECG pattern can be unmasked by drugs, ischemia, and fever. ⋯ We present the case of a 47-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with flu-like symptoms and syncope. On arrival, he was febrile and his ECG showed a Brugada pattern. Although this pattern resolved once his fever resolved, the cardiologists were concerned that his syncopal episode might have been due to ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation, and the patient was admitted for implantable cardiac defibrillator placement. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Fever and other stressors can unmask a Brugada pattern on ECG, and if patients have concerning clinical criteria, they should receive emergent cardiology follow-up.
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The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused a pandemic, overwhelming health care systems around the world. Hospitals around the world, including the United States, have been struggling to adapt to the influx of patients with COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-CoV2, given limited resources and high demand for medical care. ⋯ Point-of-care ultrasound provides numerous benefits to emergency providers caring for patients with COVID-19, including decreasing resource utilization, assisting in diagnosis, guiding management of the critically ill patient, and aiding in rapid triage of patients under investigations for COVID-19.