BMJ case reports
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We describe the case of a 30-year-old woman with chronic hip pain secondary to avascular necrosis. She received preoperative L1-L2 paravertebral block for postoperative pain control after arthroscopic hip surgery. Preoperative paravertebral block at the level of L1-L2 provided an effective postoperative analgesia for hip arthroscopy when used in a multimodal approach.
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A 54-year-old man presented with recurrent episodes of transient ischemic attacks and acute stroke secondary to a floating thrombus in the right vertebral artery (VA) with narrowing of the right VA. He was initially treated medically with anticoagulation, antiplatelets and statins but developed multiple fresh infarcts. He was then referred for endovascular treatment, which was performed in a novel way.
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The authors present the case of an 11-year-old boy with pharyngitis, treated with amoxicillin, that worsened on day 7, with cough, high fever and refusal to eat. Lethargy and respiratory distress were noted. Based on radiographic findings of bilateral infiltrates he was diagnosed with pneumonia and started on intravenous ampicillin and erythromycin. ⋯ A neck CT-scan showed a large parapharyngeal abscess. His clinical condition improved gradually and after 3 weeks of intravenous antibiotics he was discharged home on oral treatment. This case illustrates the importance of diagnosing Lemierre syndrome in the presence of pharyngitis with localised neck pain and respiratory distress, to prevent potentially fatal complications.
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Case Reports
Using a bradykinin blocker in ACE inhibitor-associated angioedema in the emergency department.
We report two cases of ACE inhibitor-associated angioedema and critical airway compromise, where the use of a selective bradykinin 2 receptor blocker resulted in rapid symptom resolution and prevented intubation to protect the airway.
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Wellens' syndrome refers to specific ECG abnormalities in the precordial T-wave segment, which are associated with critical stenosis of the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery culminating in an acute anterior wall myocardial infarction (MI) if the patient is not urgently revascularised. We describe the youngest reported presentation of Wellens' syndrome in a 24-year-old woman with unstable chest pain, characteristic ECG changes and slight troponin biomarker elevation. This was initially unrecognised by the emergency department as unstable coronary syndrome and she subsequently progressed to an anterior non-ST elevation MI (NSTEMI). Her coronary angiogram showed critical narrowing of the proximal LAD which was successfully treated with a drug-eluting stent.