Hyperacute and Fulminant Guillain-Barré Syndrome Requiring Emergent Intubation.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune-mediated acute polyneuropathy that can progress to life-threatening respiratory failure. The diagnosis and treatment of this pathology are complicated by the rarity of the disease and diversity in clinical presentation due to rarer, more dangerous subtypes of GBS. Understanding the time course of progression from onset to nadir of neurological deficits, maintaining a high index of suspicion, and close airway monitoring are essential in rapid diagnosis, securing the airway, and treatment.

Penetrating Aortic Ulceration With Pseudoaneurysm and Intramural Hematoma: Emergency Department Management and Point-of-Care Ultrasound Diagnosis.

Penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU) complicated by an intramural hematoma is a rare and potentially life-threatening emergency department (ED) presentation that is defined by progressive ulceration through the intima layer into the media layer of the aorta. Symptomatic PAUs can be clinically indistinguishable from other life-threatening pathologies such as aortic dissection, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), intrabdominal catastrophes as well as less lethal processes such as musculoskeletal back pain. Given the potential of PAUs to result in lethal aortic rupture and dissection, the emergency provider should maintain a high index of suspicion in patients with risk factors for aortic pathologies and utilize diagnostic modalities such as point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to expedite diagnosis.