Currently, Nigeria is having the worst outbreak of bacterial meningitis in almost 10 years, involving 23 states, 13,420 suspected cases, and 1,069 deaths, as of May 9.
Bacterial meningitis outbreaks frequently occur in West Africa. The area most frequently struck by epidemics of bacterial meningitis is in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. This includes 26 countries and over 400 million people. Epidemics most often occur in the dry season from December-June. Neisseria meningitides serogroup A historically accounts for approximately 90% of the cases.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends quadrivalent vaccines (protects against four serogroups A, C, W, and Y) for individuals traveling or living in countries in which meningococcal disease is hyperendemic or epidemic.
High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a valid option in the management of acute hypoxic respiratory failure (AHRF) without hypercapnia, as evidenced by multiple studies including the FLORALI trial. Failure of HFNC, however, may result in delayed intubation and worsened clinical outcomes.
Factors predicting HFNC failure and subsequent intubation include:
Consider whether or not HFNC is appropriate in your patient with AHRF, and if you use it, reevaluate your patient to ensure improvement, or escalate their respiratory support.
Iliotibial band tendonitis
IT band is the continuation of the tensor fascia lata and inserts on the tibia at Gerdy's tubercle
Common cause of lateral knee pain seen in Primary care/Sports med clinics
Mechanism: May be due to excessive friction between the IT band and the lateral femoral condyle
Second most common overuse injury of the knee (PF syndrome). Not an acute event.
Affects up to15% of active individuals
Impingement zone is at 30 degrees of knee flexion
Most common in runners and cyclists
Pain localized over the lateral femoral condyle. Better w/ rest. Often occurs at a predictable distance into the run and not at onset.
Exacerbated with changes to mileage or running terrain.
Additional risks include poor shoes (best to change every 300 to 500 miles), excessive foot pronation (pes planus), quad versus hamstring strength asymmetry, weak hip ABductors, leg length discrepancy, tight IT band.
Lisfranc Fracture: Typically consists of a fracture of the base of the second metatarsal and dislocation, though it can also be associated with fractures of a cuboid.
Click below see image of fracture
Bottom line: Do not prescribe codeine or tramadol for cough or pain in children and breastfeeding moms.
Haloperidol has a higher D2 receptor antagonist effect than standard antiemetic treatment agents such as metoclopramide. In addition, newer antipsychotic agents such as Olanzapine have a high affinity at multiple antiemetic sites such as the dopamine and serotinergic receptors.
While formal RCT's are still in the works, multiple sources including palliative care, emergency medicine, and pain journals support their use in refractory emesis.
Consider Haloperidol 3-5 mg IV.
Check an EKG for long QTc prior to use. Consider dose reduction of haloperidol in those with hepatic impairment. Also consider dose reduction in patients taking carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, rifampicin, or quinidine due to that pesky CYP3A4 inhibition.
Consider Olanzapine 2-5 mg IV.
Several case reports have shown a higher rate of success with olanzapine for refractory emesis. Olanzapine has similar precautions as those to haloperidol (EKG, hepatic impairment), although it's CYP drug interactions are less common. Additionally, use olanzapine cautiously in hyperglycemic patients as there are several case reports of olanzapine prompting episodes of DKA. Consider frequent blood sugar checks or small doses of insulin in hyperglycemic patients.
Take Home Points:
Consider the antipsychotic agents Haloperidol or Olanzapine for patients with refractory emesis, they may be more effective than traditional antiemetics.
Get an EKG prior to administration to check for QTc prolongation. As the classical and atypical antipsychotic agents are sedating, use caution in conjunction with other sedating medications (such as benzodiazepines).
Ventilator Settings for the Post-Arrest Patient
Septic Arthritis in Children
Classic presentation: Pain, fever (may not always be present)
Limited range of motion of joint or refusal to bear weight,
Joint swelling (difficult to visualize in hip or shoulder),
Limb held in position that allows greatest capsular volume (elbow held in 30° flexion for example)
Diagnostic testing may include diagnostic markers (ESR, CRP) or imaging (US/MRI)
Most common organisms: Staph and Strep, Neisseria (adolescents), HACEK organisms, consider gram negatives in immunocompromised children
DDX: Transient synovitis, osteonercrosis or osteomyelitis, Psoas abscess, acute leukemia, Lyme disease
A common ED presentation is the child with the painful limp
35% of all cases of septic arthritis
>50% of cases occur in children younger than 2yo
Hip held in flexion, Abduction, external rotation
Fever and inflammatory markers are more sensitive than WBC count and refusal to bear weight
Kocher criteria:
1) Refusal to weight bear on affected side
2) Sed rate greater than 40mm/hr
3) Fever (>38.5°C
4) WBC count of >12,000 mm3
IF
- 4/4 criteria are met, there is a 99.6% chance of septic arthritis;
- when 3/4 criteria are met, there is a 93% chance of septic arthritis;
- when 2/4 criteria are met, there is a 40% chance of septic arthritis;
- when 1/4 criteria are met, there is a 3% chance of septic arthritis;
CRP can also be incorporated into a diagnostic algorithm
CRP>2.0 (mg/dl) in a child who refuses to bear weight yields a 74% probability of septic arthritis
Predictive factors of asthma development in patients diagnosed with bronchiolitis include:
- Male sex (OR 1.3)
- Family history of asthma (OR 1.6)
- Age greater than 5 months at the time of bronchiolitis diagnosis (OR 1.4)
- More than 2 episodes of bronchiolitis (OR 2.4)
- Allergies (OR 1.6)
Lactic acids are often elevated in critical care patients (e.g. septic shock). It can be also elevated in setting of drug overdose or less frequently in therapeutic use due to interference of oxidative phosphorylation. Some of the agents include:
Bottom line:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just released an official health advisory through the Health Alert Network entitled: “CDC Recommendations for Diagnosing and Managing Shigella Strains with Possible Reduced Susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin”
Concerning treatment, one key point is:
Do not routinely prescribe antibiotic therapy for Shigella infection. Instead, reserve antibiotic therapy for patients for whom it is clinically indicated or when public health officials advise treatment in an outbreak setting.
o Shigellosis is generally a self-limited infection lasting 5-7 days.
o Unnecessary treatment with antibiotics promotes resistance.
o Treatment can shorten the duration of some illnesses, though typically only by 1-2 days
Save time by using bedside ultrasound to confirm above-the-diaphragm central venous catheter (CVC) placement rather than waiting for chest x-ray confirmation:
1. Perform rapid push of saline (it doesn’t have to be agitated) through CVC while cardiac probe is placed with right atrium in view. Immediate visualization of bubbles (or “atrial swirl”) essentially confirms correct placement.
2. Perform the usual search for ipsilateral lung-sliding and the waves-on-the-beach to rule out procedural pneumothorax.
A 50 years old male with a history of CHF, presenting to the ED with progressively worsening shortness of breath. POCUS was performed. The picture shows the left lower part of the chest. What is the diagnosis?
We all wish there was a great treatment regimen for our patients with back pain. However, most studies have shown that it really does not matter what you do, as most patients will get better in 6 weeks.
A recent study published in JAMA looked at the role of spinal manipulation to improve pain and function in adults with low back pain. They looked at 26 randomized controlled trails and found that there was modest benefit for spinal manipulation and it was similar to using NSAIDs.
So spinal manipulation may or may not work for some patients. Something to consider along with physical therapy if patients are not getting relief with home remedies.
A recent study suggests that using a lower cut off value of white blood cells in dilute urine, may have a higher likelihood of detecting a urinary tract infection in children.
In dilute urine (specific gravity < 1.015), the optimal white blood cell cut off point was 3 WBC/hpf (Positive LR 9.9). With higher specific gravities, the optimal cut off was 6 WBC/hpf (Positive LR 10). Positive leukocyte esterase has a high likelihood ratio regardless of the urine concentration.
Bottom Line: The motor GCS and Simplified Motor Scale (SMS) have similar discrimination when compared with the total GCS, and may be easier to use.
The deleterious effects of hyperoxia are becoming more and more apparent. But obtaining a blood gas to ensure normoxia in a busy Emergency Department can be burdensome. And while the utilization of a non-invasive pulse oximeter seems ideal, the threshold that best limits the rate of hyperoxia is unclear.
Durlinger et al in a prospective observational study demonstrated that an oxygen saturation 95% or less effectively limited the number of patients with hyperoxia (PaO2 of greater than 100 mm Hg). Conversely when an SpO2 of 100% was maintained, 84% of the patients demonstrated a PaO2 of greater than 100 mm Hg.
