J Emerg Med
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At least 100 of the approximately 9,000 species of coelenterates are dangerous to humans. The most common syndrome following an envenomation is an immediate intense dermatitis, with characteristic skin discoloration, local pain, and systemic symptoms. ⋯ The patient's condition did not respond to conventional topical therapy for coelenterate envenomation, but was successfully managed with systemic corticosteroid therapy. This case demonstrates that the emergency physician should consider a delayed reaction to a marine envenomation in any victim who presents with an acute dermatological disease following immersion in marine coastal waters.
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The diagnosis and treatment of cardiac dysrhythmias answers the following four questions: Is the patient stable? Is the rate fast or slow? Are the ventricular complexes wide or narrow? Is the rhythm regular or irregular? The most common narrow complex regular tachycardias are sinus tachycardia, atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia that blocks, and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. Carotid sinus massage is useful in differentiation. Irregular narrow-complex tachycardias are usually atrial fibrillation. ⋯ Still, misdiagnosis is common; the most costly mistake is over-diagnosis of SVT. In emergencies, where vital organ hypoperfusion is present, the origin of the impulse and the name of the dysrhythmia are unimportant. With the exception of sinus tachycardia, all life-threatening, rapid tachycardias should be terminated by electrical cardioversion.
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Biography Historical Article
J.-F.-B. Charrière: the man behind the "French" gauge.
Joseph-Frédéric-Benoît Charrière, a 19th century Parisian maker of surgical instruments, has by virtue of his ingenuity and advanced thinking, continued to have his presence felt in medicine throughout the 20th century. His most significant accomplishment was the development of a uniform, standard gauge specifically designed for use in medical equipment such as catheters and probes. ⋯ Today, in the United States, this system is commonly referred to as French (Fr) sizing. In addition to the development of the French gauge, Charrière made significant advances in ether administration, urologic, and other surgical instruments, and the development of the modern syringe.
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Alcoholic ketoacidosis is a frequently encountered metabolic disturbance that follows a prolonged intake of ethanol. Following a brief duration of abstinence, patients typically present with vomiting, abdominal pain, and shortness of breath. ⋯ Phosphate measurements may be depressed, particularly after institution of therapy. Intravascular volume restitution, delivery of dextrose, attention to electrolytes, and discovery of alcohol-related illnesses are the mainstays of therapy.
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Case Reports
Transient first-degree AV block and sixth nerve palsy in a patient with closed head injury.
We present the case of an 8-year-old girl who suffered a closed head injury with the development of bilateral sixth-nerve palsies, and who was noted upon arrival to the emergency department to be in first-degree AV block. The sixth-nerve palsies and the first-degree AV block resolved simultaneously within 24 hours of injury. We discuss dysrhythmias and ECG changes previously reported with central nervous system diseases and their proposed etiology.