Emergency Medicine
- Gastroenteritis gone rogue
A 56-year-old woman presented with 2 weeks of vomiting and diarrhea. Her troubles were just beginning.
- Community-acquired pneumonia: Strategies for triage and treatment
Not all patients need to be hospitalized. Initial empiric treatment should be de-escalated as soon as possible.
- A young man with hypertension and hypokalemia
At presentation, his blood pressure was 184/154 mm Hg, and his serum potassium level was 3.1 mmol/L.
- Giant uric acid stone in the bladder
The patient said he had to urinate 30 to 40 times a day, but only in small amounts.
- Are we all clear? Unintended shocks to caregivers during cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Defibrillators are designed to affect electrical activity in the patient’s heart. Caregivers, be careful!
- Atraumatic splenic rupture in acute myeloid leukemia
Atraumatic splenic rupture is rare but potentially life-threatening, especially if the diagnosis is delayed.
- Low-dose steroids for acute exacerbations of COPD in a non-ICU setting: Worth consideration
Despite the guidelines, most patients still receive high intravenous doses for acute exacerbations.
- Severe hypercalcemia in a 54-year-old woman
Her calcium level was 18.4 mg/dL; 6 months earlier it had been 9.6. What was the cause?
- A complication of enoxaparin injection
Computed tomography revealed a hematoma measuring 15 by 15 cm compressing the bladder and causing hydronephrosis.
- A 66-year-old man with abnormal thyroid function tests
A 66-year-old man presents with an acute exacerbation of COPD requiring hospitalization.