Connecticut medicine
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Connecticut medicine · Feb 2013
Case ReportsComplicated penetrating ulcer of the ascending aorta: similar to dissection, yet different.
Life-threatening acute aortic syndrome includes aortic dissection, intramural hematoma (IMH) and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU). PAU and IMH carry a greater risk for aortic rupture. ⋯ Early diagnosis and intervention is crucial. We present the case of a 72-year-old female with a PAU of the ascending aorta complicated by hemopericardium with tamponade as well as IMH, successfully treated after rapid diagnosis and intervention, followed by a brief literature review.
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Connecticut medicine · Feb 2013
Case ReportsBroken lung and broken heart: a case of right pneumothorax resulting in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC), also known as broken-heart syndrome, is usually the result of a stressful event. It is more common in postmenopausal females and can mimic an acute coronary syndrome. ⋯ The case highlights the growing interest in stress cardiomyopathy and its variable modes of presentation. It also reminds us that the acute chest pain of a pneumothorax can closely mimic a coronary event with similar electrocardiographic changes.
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Connecticut medicine · Feb 2013
Case ReportsA case of seronegative catastrophic antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.
Catastrophic antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (CAPS) is a rare syndrome associated with multiorgan failure that carries a high mortality rate. It has been defined previously by the presence of autoantibodies in a patient with acute multiorgan failure as a result of small vessel occlusion by multiple thrombi. We report a patient who meets all criteria of CAPS except for persistent seronegativity.
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Connecticut medicine · Jan 2013
Central line associated blood stream infection related to cooling catheter in cardiac arrest survivors undergoing therapeutic hypothermia by endovascular cooling.
The risk of central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) related to cooling catheters used for therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is unclear. ⋯ In cardiac arrest survivors undergoing TH, femorally placed endovascular cooling catheter is not associated with an increased incidence of CLABSI.