UMEM Educational Pearls

As noted in a previous pearl (see 1/7/2015), tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is the second greatest infectious killer after HIV/AIDS globally. While the incidence and death rate from TB is decreasing, it is still a widespread problem.

  • 9 million people fell ill with TB in 2013
  • 1.5 million deaths
  • Most deaths (95%) occur in low- and middle-income countries
  • Among the top 5 causes of death in women aged 15 to 44

 

Mycobacterium tuberculosis primarily attacks the lungs.  However, it can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. TB is primarily spread person to person through the air, for example when a person with TB coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings.

 

Once a person is infected with TB, the likelihood of developing disease is greater if the person:

  • Is HIV infected;
  • Has recently acquired TB infection (past 2 years);
  • Has other health problems, like diabetes, that impair the immune response;
  • Is a substance abuser (alcohol or illegal drugs);
  • Was not adequately treated in the past for TB.

 

Classic symptoms for pulmonary TB include:

  • A prolonged (> 3 weeks) bad cough
    • coughing up blood or sputum
  • Pain in the chest
  • weakness/ fatigue
  • weight loss
  • anorexia
  • chills
  • fever
  • sweating at night

 

Other TB symptoms can also include:

  • Prolonged headaches and mental status changes (TB meningitis),
  • Prolonged back pain/stiffness leading to lower extremity paralysis, or single joint arthritis (skeletal TB)
  • Flank pain, frequent urination, scrotal mass or epididymo-orchitis, pelvic inflammatory disease (genitourinary TB)

 

Bottom line

In the emergency department, maintain a strong clinical awareness for tuberculosis for someone with night sweats, cough, chest pain, and intermittent fever lasting for 3 weeks or longer.  In particular, consider this diagnosis for someone from a low- or middle-income country or if he or she is HIV positive.

 

Next time: Testing and treatment for TB.

 

Also see prior pearls on TB: Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) (1/21/2015), Tuberculosis (1/7/2015); XDR Tuberculosis (8/14/2013); PPD positive? Good news... (2/6/2013)

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Title: Central venous catheters

Category: Critical Care

Keywords: tlc, triple lumen, cordis, catheter, central line, icu, critical care (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/30/2015 by Feras Khan, MD
Click here to contact Feras Khan, MD

With a new academic year starting, it is important to review some details on central lines

Complications of central lines (TLC-Triple lumen catheter)

  • Pneumothorax (more common with subclavian)
  • Arterial puncture (more common with femoral)
  • Catheter malposition
  • Subcutaneous hematoma
  • Hemothorax
  • Catheter related infection (historically more with femoral)
  • Catheter induced thrombosis
  • Arrhythmia (usually from guidewire insertion)
  • Venous air embolism (avoid with Trendelenburg position)
  • Bleeding

Avoiding infections: hand hygiene, chlorhexidine skin antisepsis, maximal barrier precautions, remove unnecessary lines, full gown and glove w/ mask and sterile technique.

Catheter position: 16-18cm for Right sided and 18-20 cm for Left sided. But can vary based on height, neck length, and catheter insertion site. Approximate length based on these factors.

Flow rates: Remember that putting in a central line does not necessarily improve your flow rates in resuscitation

16 G IV: 220 ml/min

Cordis/introducer sheath: 126 ml/min

18 G IV: 105 ml/min

16G distal port TLC: 69 ml/min

Ports (Can vary with type of catheter)

1. Distal exit port (16G)

2. Middle port (18G)

3. Proximal port (18G)

Arterial puncture: hold pressure for 5 mins and evaluate for hematoma formation (harder for subclavian approach)

Arterial cannulation: Has decreased due to ultrasound use but if you do cannulate an arterial site, don’t panic. Don’t remove the line. You can check a blood gas or arterial pulse waveform to confirm placement.  Call vascular surgery for open removal and repair or endovascular repair. You could potentially remove a femoral arterial line and hold pressure but seek vascular advice regarding possible closure devices to use after removal.

 



Question

25 year-old male falls from 10 feet and lands on his right shoulder, what's the diagnosis?

 

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Title: Giant Cell Myocarditis

Category: Cardiology

Posted: 6/28/2015 by Semhar Tewelde, MD (Updated: 11/13/2024)
Click here to contact Semhar Tewelde, MD

Giant Cell Myocarditis

Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) is an infrequent, but often fatal form of acute myocarditis that has been shown to respond to cyclosporine-based immunosuppressive therapy

Even after heart transplantation GCM recurrence in the donor heart has been cited as high as 20% to 25%

Patients are surviving longer without transplantation because of efficacious medical therapy

A multi-institutional prospective data set revealed several novel findings in GCM:

·      Long-term immunosuppression appears capable of lengthening transplantation-free survival ~19 years beyond initial diagnosis

·      Cessation and/or reduction of immunosuppression are associated with GCM recurrence

·      Patients who developed cyclosporine associate renal failure were able to be switched to a sirolimus-based regimen

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Title: Fractures of the distal radius

Category: Orthopedics

Keywords: wrist injury, FOOSH, Distal radius fracture (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/27/2015 by Brian Corwell, MD
Click here to contact Brian Corwell, MD

Colles fracture

Almost 90% of distal radius fractures

Mechanism: Fall on the outstretched, hyperextended, radially deviated wrist with the forearm in pronation

Often seen in older patients and in those with osteoporosis

Distal radius fracture with dorsal angulation/displacement and/or radial shortening. "Dinner fork deformity"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colles'_fracture#/media/File:Colles_fracture.JPG

Smith fracture (aka reverse Colles fracture)

Mechanism: Fall on the outstretched, flexed, radially deviated wrist with the forearm in pronation

Usually younger patients with high energy mechanism

Distal radius fracture with volar angulation or volar displacement. "Garden spade" deformity

Often unstable requiring ORIF

http://www.radiologyassistant.nl/data/bin/w440/a50979780ec887_Smith'-tek.jpg

Radial styloid fracture aka Chauffeur fracture

Fall causing compression of scaphoid against the styloid with wrist in dorsiflexion and ulnar deviation

Often associated with intercarpal ligamentous injuries (i.e., scapholunate dissociation, perilunate dislocation)

Often requires ORIF

http://images.radiopaedia.org/images/611818/cc52cce7bcfd8c905bcc7b5d2b6a65.jpg



Title: Why Won't It Move? - Functional Neurologic Disorders

Category: Neurology

Keywords: psych, conversion, nonorganic, physical exam (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/25/2015 by Danya Khoujah, MBBS
Click here to contact Danya Khoujah, MBBS

Functional neurologic disorders, also referred to as psychogenic or nonorganic, comprise a significant part of neurological "emergencies", and can be difficult to diagnose in the emergency department, leading to a significant over-utilization of resources.
Accurate diagnosis emphasizes on the presence of positive physical signs that are internally inconsistent or incongruent with recognized disease. The presence of an identifiable stressor is not necessary for diagnosis.
Exam findings may show:
a) Improvement of symptoms temporarily with focused attention on a different body part, such as:
- Hoover sign and hip abductor sign for functional limb weakness
- Entrainment sign for functional tremor
- Improved standing balance with distractions
b) Clinical phenotype that is typical for the diagnosis, such as:
- Eyes tightly shut while "unresponsive"
- Dragging gait with hips internally or externally rotated, with the forefoot remaining in contact with ground
- Fixed dystonic posture with ankle inversion and plantar flexion
- Global weakness, affecting extensors and flexors equally
- Unilateral facial weakness with platysma overactivity, jaw deviation and/or contraction of orbicularis oris.
That being said, functional and organic disease may co-exist in some patients and it may be worthwhile to refer them to a neurology clinic for possible further workup.

The original article has links to multiple videos demonstrating those signs. It can be accessed on http://journals.lww.com/continuum/Abstract/2015/06000/Functional_Neurologic_Disorders.22.aspx

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Question

30 year-old patient presents with palpitations. A parasternal long-axis clip is shown below along with the rhythm strip. What's the diagnosis and what drug was given during this clip? 

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Title: Steroids and Sciatica

Category: Orthopedics

Keywords: Steroids, Sciatica (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/20/2015 by Michael Bond, MD
Click here to contact Michael Bond, MD

Steroid Use in the treatment of Acute Sciatica

Have you used oral steroids in the treatment of your patient with acute sciatica thought to be secondary to a herniated disk.

Well a recent randomizaed, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial from 2008 to 2013 in a large integrated health care system in Northern California enrolled 269 patients to look at whether steroids improved pain or function. The intervention arm (twice as large as placebo arm) received a tapering 15-day course of oral prednisone (5 days each of 60 mg, 40 mg, and 20 mg; total cumulative dose = 600 mg; n = 181).

In the end there were no differences in surgery rates at 52-week follow-up, and the steroid arm had a modest improvement in function but no improvement in pain. There were also more adverse events at 3-week follow-up in the prednisone group than in the placebo group.

Conclusion: Giving steroids for acute sciatica does not appear to improve the patients pain, only has a modest improvement in function, and was associated with more adverse events. Put another way there was minimal benefit and more harm.

You can check out the full article at http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2015.4468

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Title: Pediatric Migraine Therapy

Category: Pediatrics

Keywords: migraine, sodium valproate, headache (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/19/2015 by Jenny Guyther, MD
Click here to contact Jenny Guyther, MD

Sodium valproate (VPA) had been studied and found to be effective in the adult population for migraines, but not in the pediatric population.  This article was a small (12 patient) retrospective study of pediatric migraine patients looking at pain scores before and after VPA administration.  Prior to VPA, patients received NSAIDs, dopamine antagonists, IV fluids and narcotics.  Mean pain reduction prior to VPA was 17%.  After VPA, pain scores were reduced by an additional 36%.

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Title: K2 strikes back: A surge in synthetic cannabinoid use.

Category: Toxicology

Keywords: Synthetic cannabinoid, K2 (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/18/2015 by Hong Kim, MD (Updated: 11/13/2024)
Click here to contact Hong Kim, MD

Recently, there has been a surge in synthetic cannabinoid in the U.S., including the Baltimore area. According to U.S. poison control center data, there has been 229% increase in calls related to SC between January to May of 2015 compared to similar time period in 2014.

 

The most commonly reported adverse/clinical effects included:

  • Agitation: 35.3%
  • Tachycardia: 29%
  • Drowsiness/lethargy: 26.3%
  • Vomiting: 16.4%
  • Confusion: 16.4%

 

End-organ injuries have been also reported in case reports, including AKI, seizure, MI, and CVA.

 

Synthetic cannabinoid includes a list of chemical compounds that are structurally different compared to THC – the active compound in marijuana. However, they possess full CB1 (cannabinoid) receptor agonism effect, unlike the THC, which is a partial CB1 receptor agonist. 

 

These chemicals (particularly JWH series) were originally synthesized to study the effect of cannabinoid receptors. Overall, it is difficult to identify the compound and the dose within each packets of SC.

 

Commonly marketed names include: Spice, K2, K9, herbal highs, Scooby snax, WTF.

Table. Identified synthetic cannabinoids

Chemical name

Chemical origin

JWH-018; JWH-073; JWH-250

Laboratory of J.W. Huffman

CP47,497; CP47,497-C8; CP59,540; cannabicyclohexanol

Pfizer laboratory

HU-210

Hebrew University laboratory

Oleamide

Fatty acid

UR-144

CB2 receptor agonist

XLR-11, AKB-48, AM-2201, AM-694

 

 

Management: Majority of the patients with acute SC intoxication mostly requires supportive care, including benzodiazepine for acute agitation. However, ED providers should be mindful of potential end-organ injury. 

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While most infections from parasites are associated with poor communities in low-income countries, there are still some important parasitic infections found in the United States.

 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified 5 parasitic diseases as priorities for public health action based upon:

  • Number of infected individuals
  • Severity of illness
  • Ability to prevent and treat the diseases

 

These are

  • Chagas Disease
    • More than 300,000 people in the U.S. are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease
  • Cysticercosis
    • At least 1,000 people are hospitalized annually with neurocysticercosis
  • Toxocariasis
    • 70 individuals, mostly children are blinded annually from toxocariasis
  • Toxoplasmosis
    • More than 60 million individuals carry Toxoplasma gondii, but it usually doesn’t cause symptoms in immunologically competent individuals. 
    • However, it is the 2nd leading cause of death from foodborne illness and it can cause severe problems during pregnancy and in immunocompromised individuals.
  • Trichomoniasis
    • 3% of women in the U.S. are infected with this sexually transmitted parasite
    • 1.1 million people newly infected annually

 

Bottom line:

Remember to keep your differential broad and maintain awareness of these generally unusual but important infections.

 

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Title: Renal Resuscitation using Renal Interlobar Artery Doppler (RIAD)

Category: Critical Care

Keywords: Shock, hemodynamics, RIAD, Renal interlobar artery doppler, Resistive Index (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/16/2015 by John Greenwood, MD
Click here to contact John Greenwood, MD

 

Renal Resuscitation using Renal Interlobar Artery Doppler (RIAD)

Shocked patient…. check! Adequate volume resuscitation…. check!  Vasopressors.… check! Mean arterial pressure (MAP) > 65 mmHg….. check!  Adequate urine output…. Wait, why isn’t my patient making urine?

As we begin to understand more about shock, hemodynamics, and the importance of perfusion over the usual macrocirculatory goals (MAP > 65), finding ways to assess regional blood flow is critical.  A recent study examined the effect of fluid administration on renal perfusion using renal interlobar artery Doppler (RIAD) to assess the interlobar resistive index (RI).  See how to perform a RIAD here.

They also recorded the fluid challenge’s effect on the traditional hemodynamic measurements of MAP and pulse pressure (PP) then observed the patient’s urine output (as a clinical marker of perfusion).  The authors reported 3 key findings:
 

  1. In the hemodynamically impaired patient, a fluid challenge results in reduced intrarenal vasoconstriction (a reduction in the RI).
  2. In the hemodynamically impaired patient, changes in RI are more effective than changes in MAP or PP in predicting an increase in urine output after a fluid challenge.
  3. Using RI to guide fluid therapy may be limited by small changes and technical limitations.

 

Bottom Line: The use of ultrasound to determine intrarenal hemodynamics is an interesting strategy to guide renal resuscitation in the shocked patient.  There is mixed data on the use of RIAD, however this study could explain the findings of SEPSISPAM and also addresses the growing concern that traditional hemodynamic goals may be inadequate resuscitation targets.

 

References

  1. Moussa MD, Scolletta S, Fagnoul D, et al. Effects of fluid administration on renal perfusion in critically ill patients. Crit Care. 2015;19(1):250.
  2. Asfar P, Meziani F, Hamel JF, et al. High versus low blood-pressure target in patients with septic shock. N Engl J Med. 2014;370(17):1583-93.

For more critical care & resuscitation pearls, follow me on Twitter @JohnGreenwoodMD



Question

Patient presents with headache and papilledema. What's the diagnosis?

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Title: Posterolateral Corner Injury

Category: Orthopedics

Keywords: Posterolateral Corner Injury, PCL, ACL, knee (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/13/2015 by Brian Corwell, MD
Click here to contact Brian Corwell, MD

Posterolateral Corner Injury

Hx: hyperextension injury (contact and non contact), varus directed blow to flexed knee, direct blow to anteriomedial knee. Report instability symptoms when knee is in full extension.

PE: Varus stress testing

Varus laxity at 0 indicate LCL and cruciate ligament (ACL/PCL) injury

Varus laxity at 30 indicates LCL injury

Dial test - inspects the external rotation at the knee joint/performed in both 30 and 90 knee flexion. The dial test inspects the external rotation at the knee joint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW4yv0zg4RY

Positive at 30 = > 10 external rotation asymmetry = isolated PCL injury

Positive at 30 & 90 = Posterior lateral corner injury and PCL injury



  • Evidence-based guidelines recommend therapeutic hypothermia in adults following resuscitation from cardiac arrest.
  • Very few trials exist for children.
  • The most recently published study on the subject (New England Journal of Medicine, May 2015) was of 295 children aged 2 days to 18 years old, at 38 different childrens hospitals who underwent targeted temperature management. 
  • There was no significant difference in primary outcome between the hypothermia and normothermia groups.  One year survival and 28-day survival were similar, as were incidences of infection, serious arrhythmias, and use of blood products.
  • "In comotose children who survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, therapeutic hypothermia, as compared with therapeutic normothermia , did not confer a significant benefit in survival with a good functional outcome at 1 year."

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Title: Salicylate Poisoning: When to Dialyze

Category: Toxicology

Keywords: aspirin, extracorporeal, salicylate, poisoning (PubMed Search)

Posted: 5/22/2015 by Bryan Hayes, PharmD (Updated: 6/11/2015)
Click here to contact Bryan Hayes, PharmD

The Extracorporeal Treatments in Poisoning (EXTRIP) Workgroup has published their latest review, this time on extracorporeal treatment for salicylate poisoning. Here are their recommendations on when to dialyze:

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Title: What is the ICH Score?

Category: Neurology

Keywords: Guidelines, intracerebral hemorrhage, ICH score, communication (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/10/2015 by WanTsu Wendy Chang, MD (Updated: 10/14/2015)
Click here to contact WanTsu Wendy Chang, MD

 

What is the ICH Score?

  • The most recent AHA/ASA guideline for spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) recommends the use of a clinical severity score for communication.
  • While the NIHSS is used for ischemic stroke, its utility may be limited in ICH due to commonly depressed mental status.
  • The ICH Score is the most widely used and externally validated risk stratification scale:

 

Take Home Point:  Communicate the severity of your ICH patient by using either the composite ICH Score or by including details such as the patient's GCS, estimated volume of ICH, presence of IVH, and supra- vs. infratentorial origin.

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Intraosseous (IO) placement is a rapid and reliable method for obtaining venous access in critically ill patients; previous studies demonstrated that everything from vasopressors to packed RBCs can be infused through it.

This prospective observational study compared the first-pass success rate and time to successful placement of IO versus landmark-based (i.e., not ultrasound guided) central-line placement (femoral or subclavian access) during medical emergencies (e.g., cardiac arrest) in an inpatient population.

The first pass success rate for IO was found to be significantly higher than the landmark technique (90% vs. 38%) and placement was significantly faster for IOs (1.2 vs. 10.7 minutes).

Despite the fact that this study did not directly compare IO to ultrasound guided line placement, this study demonstrates that IO is a rapid and effective means to obtain central access during patients with emergent medical conditions.

Bottom-line: Consider placing an IO line when rapid central access is necessary.

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Question

The following clip is one of three findings found in Beck’s triad. Name all three findings and how often are all 3 signs present for patients with pericardial tamponade?

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Title: Vancomycin Loading in Obese Patients

Category: Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Keywords: obese, vancomycin, loading dose (PubMed Search)

Posted: 5/22/2015 by Bryan Hayes, PharmD (Updated: 6/6/2015)
Click here to contact Bryan Hayes, PharmD

Vancomycin guidelines recommend an initial dose of 15-20 mg/kg based on actual body weight (25-30 mg/kg in critically ill patients). [1] The MRSA guidelines further recommend a max dose of 2 gm. [2]

But, what dose do you give for an obese patient that would require more than 2 gm?

A new study provides some answers to this question. [3] Obese-specific, divided-load dosing achieved trough concentrations of 10 to 20 g/mL for 89% of obese patients within 12 hours of initial dosing and 97% of obese patients within 24 hours of initial dosing.

Application to Clinical Practice

  1. Calculate the total loading dose. At my institution we use actual body weight (the study used IBW).
  2. Divide the total dose to be given every 6 hours until load is complete. We cap each individual dose at 2 gm (the study used 1.5 gm).
  3. Measure a trough level before the third dose.
  4. Change to dosing frequency dictated by renal function once level moves into target range.

Caveats

The study used some more specific dosing calculations based on renal function and percentage above IBW. If patient's renal function is abnormal, consultation with a pharmacist is recommended.

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