Curēus
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Meralgia paresthetica is a neuropathic pain disorder resulting from an entrapment neuropathy of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. This condition results in pain, paresthesias and numbness over the anterolateral aspect of the thigh. We present a case of meralgia paresthetica and discuss both the clinical and histopathological findings as they relate to one another. ⋯ These findings corresponded well to the patient's preoperative symptoms of paresthesias and pain. This case serves to shed light on the pathophysiology of meralgia paresthetica and its clinical presentation. It also shows the role of surgical treatment in cases refractory to conservative management in order to alleviate painful symptoms.
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Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and programmable cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 have shown antitumor activity in cancers such as melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and urothelial cancer. Certain checkpoint inhibitors have been approved for use in Canada, and are becoming a mainstay in the treatment of melanoma and other malignancies. These drugs have a unique side effect profile and are known to cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs). ⋯ IrAEs can occur in any organ system, but adverse events in the skin, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and pulmonary systems are among the most common. As an emergency physician, one must be familiar with these drugs and their adverse events in order to identify patients presenting with irAE and treat them accordingly. This paper provides a brief introduction to immune checkpoint inhibitors, discusses the most common irAEs relevant to emergency physicians, and gives suggestions on how to manage patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) suffering from irAEs.
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Background Many specialty societies have found that neuroimaging in headache is a low-value intervention for benign presentations. This study describes factors that influence Emergency Room (ER) physicians' adherence to Choosing Wisely (CW) recommendations for low-risk headache patients presenting to Calgary's Emergency Departments (EDs). Emergency medicine has yet to address imaging in headache as a CW topic; however, this study may inform that decision. ⋯ Time to assessment, the day of the week, physician gender, years of experience, and training program did not influence CT ordering practices. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess how patient, physician, and environmental factors relate to the use of CT scans in low-risk headaches presenting to the ED. CW guidelines are not optimally adhered to, and the findings in this study findings may inspire new ideas for maximizing the judicious use of healthcare resources.