There are many definitions for a disaster. Per the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), they define a disaster as:“…a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources. Though often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins.”
However, in the heat of the moment, a shorter definition is easier to remember. The IFRC also define a disaster as:
A shorter, more practical definition is:
Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are used to treat a wide range of infections and as prophylaxis against infection in certain immune compromised patients. In 2008 the FDA issued a boxed warning for tendonitis and tendon rupture for the fluoroquinolone antibiotic class, and in May 2016 a statement recommending the use of alternate therapies for uncomplicated UTIs and upper respiratory infections was issued. The mechanism by which fluoroquinolones causes tendon injury has not been elucidated, but may be related to oxidative stress caused by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species in tenocytes.
Adverse event reporting to the FDA is performed voluntarily by healthcare professionals and consumers through MedWatch. An analysis of tendon rupture events associated with fluoroquinolone use reported to the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database was recently published.
What they found:
Application to clinical practice:
Plain films are commonly used to screen children for pelvic fractures or dislocations following blunt torso trauma
The sensitivity of this common screening practice is unknown
A recent study looked at this question.
Of 451 patients with pelvic fractures or dislocations, 382 had AP radiographs. Injury was correctly identified in 297 patients (sensitivity 78%).
The sensitivity was greater in the sicker subgroups :92% for those requiring operative intervention and 82% for those with hypotension
Plain AP pelvic radiographs should have a limited role in the sole evaluation of children with blunt torso trauma.
They should be incorporated in the assessment of hemodynamically unstable children and those in whom the clinician is not planning on otherwise obtaining an abdominal/pelvis CT.
Laundry detergent pods were introduced in 2012 to make washing clothes more "convenient." Since then, pediatric exposures to laundry detergent pods have increased as the use of these detergent pods have become more common in homes. Like other household chemical exposure, small, colorful candy like appearances of laundry detergent pods can attract the attention of < 3 years old children resulting in unintentional exposure due to curiosity or taste.
Most frequent clinical effects (2013 - 2014 national poison center data) from exposure to detergents in general (laundry detergent pods and nonpods & dishwasher detergent):
Laundry detergent pod vs. nonpods:
Laundry detergent pods (only) also resulted in following:
Cases of caustic exposure-like injuries have also been reported (corneal abrasion and esophageal injury)
Bottom line:
Pediatric laundry detergent (nonpods) exposures usually have self-limited symptoms. However, laundry detergent pod exposure can cause more serious clinical effects that may require hospitalization.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses are defined as new or worsening neurologic deficits lasting 24 hours or more in the absence of fever or infection. Symptoms may be visual, motor, sensory, balance or cognitive. It is a clinical diagnosis, but the presence of a new gadolinium-enhancing lesion on MRI can be used as a radiologic marker of an MS relapse. However, it is unclear whether asymptomatic lesions should be treated, making it prudent to rely on the clinical evaluation rather than the MRI for diagnosis.
Moderate to severe relapses should be treated within 1 week of onset. The mainstay of treatment for relapses is IV methylprednisolone, usually dosed at 500mg to 1g per day for 3-7 days.
Similar symptoms occurring in the presence of fever, heat exposure, stress or infection (such as urinary or upper respiratory tract infections) are "pseudoexacerbations", and should not be treated as an MS relapse.
There are 4 types of respiratory failure that all providers should be familiar with
Type 1: Hypoxemic, PaO2 <50; this can include shunt , V/Q mismatch, or high altitude. Pulmonary edema, ARDS, pneumonia are common causes of this type of failure.
Type 2: Hypercapnic respiratory failure; decreased RR or tidal volume. This includes neuromuscular disorders including GBS or Myasthenia Gravis, in addition to medication overdose. COPD and asthma can lead to this type of respiratory failure as well.
Type 3: Peri-operative; atelectasis; decreased FRC from being supine or obese during the operative period.
Type 4: Shock or hypoperfusion leading to increased work of breathing and respiratory failure.
The PATCH trail, recently published in the Lancet, looked at whether giving platelets to patients, that were on anti-platelet therapy (e.g.: aspirin, clopedrigrel, or dipyridamole) for at least 7 days at the time of their spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, improved neurologic outcomes and mortality.
This was a large (60 hospitals) multicener, open-label, masked endpoint, randomized trial that enrolled a total of 190 patients (97 platelet transfusion and 93 standard care).
The outcomes were surprising. Patient in the Platelet group had a higher rat of death or dependence at 3 months (Adjusted OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.18 3.56; p = 0.0114).
The authors concluded "Platelet transfusion seems inferior to standard care for people taking anti-platelet therapy before a spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage"
Though this is the first study to look at this, the studies design and outcomes should really make use reconsider whether we give these patients platelets. The thought is that ICB or hemorrhagic strokes also have a component of ischemic stroke and a watershed area that's blood flow becomes compromised with the platelet transfusion.
TAKE HOME POINT: We should not routinely transfuse platelets in our patients that were on antiplatelet therapy prior to their ICB.
In consideration of the recent shootings in Orlando, Florida, how common are intentional homicides globally?
Please keep the families and friends of the victims of the Orlando events, as well as the many emergency workers who helped them, in your thoughts and prayers.
Loperamide is a peripheral mu-opioid receptor agonist that is found in over the counter anti-diarrheal medication. Following the trend of opioid abuse epidemic, loperamide has been promoted on online drug-use forum as a treatment for opioid withdrawal and as a possible alternative to methadone. At the same time, recreational use of loperamide has been increasing as an opioid alternative. Unlike therapeutic use of loparamide (2 – 4 mg), loraparmide abusers take supratherapeutic doses (e.g. 50 – 100 mg) to penetrate the CNS to produce opioid effects.
In published case reports, loperamide caused cardiac Na channel blockade (similar to TCA and bupropion) and K channel blockade, resulting in EKG changes including QRS interval > 100 msec with terminal R wave in aVR and QTc prolongation, respectively. Loperamide associated death has also been reported (autopsy finding), although the exact cause of death was not determined.
It is unclear if administration of NaHCO3 can reverse the cardiac Na channel blockade as in TCA and bupropion as the clinical experiences have been limited.
Bottom line:
Heat Stroke
Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is one of the most common chronic headache disorders
Worldwide prevalence of 1 2%
Characterized by chronic headache and overuse of different headache medications
Withdrawal of the overused medication is the treatment of choice
A 2014 study looked at adolescent patients treated in a headache clinic with chronic post traumatic headaches (concussion headaches)
77 had chronic post-traumatic headache of 3-12 months' duration
54 of 77 (70.1%) met criteria for probable medication-overuse headache.
After the OTC medicine was stopped 68.5% had resolution or improvement !!
Excessive use of analgesics postconcussion may contribute to chronic post-traumatic headaches in some adolescents.
Sometimes the advise of "just keep taking the motrin and it'll get better" isnt the answer
Ketamine is gaining traction as a prehospital option for managing severe agitation or excited delirium syndrome. Previous reports have mostly been case series, but a new prospective study adds some important information that may help delineate ketamine's role in this setting. [1] The study and an accompanying commentary are both open access. [2]
What They Did
Open-label before-and-after prospective comparison of haloperidol (10 mg IM) versus ketamine (5 mg/kg IM) for the treatment of acute undifferentiated agitation.
What They Found
Appliation to Clinical Practice
Gadolinium - To Use or Not Use?
| Non-Contrast MRA/MRV | Contrast-Enhanced MRA/MRV | |
| How Does It Work? | * Time-of-flight (TOF) is a commonly used sequence * Relies on flow of blood into imaging plane * Difference between signal of blood and suppressed background tissue | * Similar to CT angiography/venography * Higher intravascular signal purely from gadolinium-based contrast, not dependent on flow
|
| Pros | * Does not require contrast
| * Generally better image quality * Shorter acquisition time |
| Cons | * Slow, turbulent, or retrograde flow may result in signal loss * Over-estimates stenosis * Longer acquisition time | * RIsks associated with contrast use * Timing of image acquisition important |
| Applications | * Patients with allergy to gadolinium, renal dysfunction, pregnancy * Evaluation of intracranial vessels and cerebral venous system | * Evaluation of stenoses and occlusions of the neck vessels and their origins at the aortic arch
|
In settings where community-acquired MRSA is prevalent, which antibiotic is best for uncomplicated wound infections?
New Study
What They Found
Application to Clinical Practice
Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban) is one of the most frequently prescribed antidepressants and smoking cessation agents. A lesser incidence of undesirable side effects such as weight gain and sexual dysfunction when compared to other antidepressants lends to its popularity. Bupropion's mechanism of action is only partially understood but it is known to be a norepinephine dopamine reuptake inhibitor and anticholinergic receptor blocker at certain nicotinic receptors. Bupropion has a monocyclic structure similar to amphetamines. Seizures are a major concern in overdose. When first released, Bupropion was initially withdrawn from the market due to its narrow therapeutic window with seizures occurring at doses as low as 450 mg.
As we head into the summer travel season, it is important to know what potential dangers lurk out there for the unwary traveler. While injuries are usually the primary cause for death and disability for Americans abroad, what about other diseases?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a webpage with travel health notices.
They are three types of notices:
Currently, there are a number of Level 1 watches and Level 2 alerts for different countries, but no Level 3 warnings. Many of the Level 2 alerts relate to Zika virus, but there are others for MERS, Yellow Fever and Polio.
To see more, go to: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
Radiographs of the sacrum and coccyx in the emergency department (ED) have no quantifiable clinical impact, according to a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Researchers from Emory University Midtown Hospital and Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, sought to determine the yield and clinical impact of sacrum and coccyx radiographs performed in the ED.
Sacrum and coccyx X-rays performed on 687 consecutive patients over a six-year period in level-1 and level-2 trauma centers (4 total hospitals). The patients’ mean age was 48.1, 61.6% were women. The images were categorized as positive for acute fracture or dislocation, negative, or other.
The researchers then analyzed:
• Follow-up advanced imaging in the same ED visit
• Follow-up advanced imaging within 30 days
• New analgesic prescriptions
• Clinic follow-up
• Surgical intervention within 60 days
The researchers found positive results in 58 of the 687 patients, a positivity rate of 8.4%.
None of the 58 positive cases had surgical intervention.
There was no significant association between sacrum and coccyx radiograph positivity and analgesic prescription or clinical follow-up among the patients evaluated at the level-1 trauma centers.
However at the level-2 trauma centers, 34 (97.1%) of 35 patients with positive sacrum and coccyx radiographs received analgesic prescriptions or clinical referrals. Negative cases were at 82.9%.
Of all cases, 39 patients (5.7%) underwent advanced imaging in the same ED visit and 29 patients (4.3%) underwent imaging within 30 days.
“Sacrum and coccyx radiography results had no significant correlation with advanced imaging in the same ED visit,” the authors wrote. “There was no significant difference in 30-day advanced imaging at the level-1 trauma centers, but there was at the level-2 trauma centers.”
The researchers concluded that routine sacrum and coccyx radiography should not be part of ED practice and that patients should be treated conservatively based on clinical parameters.
