Objective: To evaluate the current body of literature pertaining to the use of ocular point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the emergency department.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on SCOPUS, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Cochrane CENTRAL. Inclusion criteria included studies written in English only and primary clinical studies involving ocular POCUS scans in an emergency department setting.
Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) for point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) have ushered in new possibilities for medical diagnostics in low-resource settings. This review explores the current landscape of AI applications in POCUS across these environments, analyzing studies sourced from three databases-SCOPUS, PUBMED, and Google Scholars. Initially, 1196 records were identified, of which 1167 articles were excluded after a two-stage screening, leaving 29 unique studies for review.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbdominal pain is one of the most common presenting chief complaints in the emergency department (ED). Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is an ultrasound-guided nerve block with proven effectiveness in treating visceral and somatic abdominal pain. Despite the increasing popularity of ESPB, its role in the management of non-surgical abdominal pain has not yet been characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Pract Cases Emerg Med
November 2023
Case Presentation: In this case presentation, an 84-year-old male with Fitzpatrick type IV skin tone experienced blistering due to bullous pemphigoid (BP), first on the distal upper left extremity and then on the distal lower extremities, chest, and back. These symptoms resulted in three visits to the emergency department within a month, as well as an episode of hospitalization. Despite treatment, the blistering did not resolve until future outpatient care with dermatology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Educ Teach Emerg Med
July 2022
Unlabelled: May-Thurner syndrome (MTS) is most commonly caused by the compression of the left iliac vein by the right iliac artery against the lumbar spine, which leads to the development of a partial or occlusive deep venous thrombosis (DVT).1 Diagnosis begins with a duplex ultrasound of the lower extremities to evaluate for a femoropopliteal thrombus, and in high-risk patients where a more proximal DVT is suspected and the DVT ultrasound is negative, a computed tomography venogram (CTV) or magnetic resonance venogram (MRV) is performed.1,3 In this case report, a patient presented to the emergency department (ED) with two days of left lower extremity pain and swelling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Educ Teach Emerg Med
April 2023
Unlabelled: A 36-year-old immunocompetent female presented to the emergency department (ED) with five days of headache and left-sided facial pain. Physical exam showed conjunctival injection of the left eye with multiple vesicular lesions distributed along the V1 dermatome. Labs were remarkable for mild elevation in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and c-reactive protein (CRP) with no elevation in white blood cell (WBC) count.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a global pandemic. While acute respiratory failure has been the predominant concern, there have been reports of other end-organ damage such as renal failure. We report a case of an elderly woman who presented with BRASH syndrome, a constellation of bradycardia, renal failure, atrioventricular (AV) nodal blockade, shock, and hyperkalemia (BRASH), which was likely triggered by COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKetamine is commonly used in the emergency medicine setting, but also as a recreational drug. There have been many animal studies investigating ketamine, but little data on long-term clinical use of ketamine in humans. In this case presentation, a 22-year-old international male student presented with crepitus and cachexia and was found to have extensive subcutaneous emphysema, pneumorrhachis/intraspinal air, pneumomediastinum, and multiorgan failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNonvariceal upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeds are a common emergency. Mortality in patients with an upper GI bleed has been reported to be as high as 30% for those who bleed inpatient. Definitive management after resuscitation can be done with endoscopy, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), and/or surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClostridium difficile () is a common cause of antibiotic--associated diarrhea (AAD), being responsible for 15--25% of all AAD cases. The purpose of this literature review is to determine the cost-effectiveness of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and how it compares in this regard to the standard treatments of choice for recurrent C. difficile infection (CDI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSesame oil (SO) is a supplement that has been known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which makes it effective for reducing atherosclerosis and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Due to the side effects of statins, the current recommended treatment for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, the idea of using dietary and nutritional supplementation has been explored. The benefits of a dietary health regime have piqued curiosity because many different cultures have reaped health benefits through the ingredients in their cooking with negligible side effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHistoric practice recommends slow transfusion for children with chronic anemia and hemoglobin less than 5.0 g/dl due to the theoretical risk of transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO). In our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), we have been utilizing a more liberal transfusion practice in patients without underlying cardiopulmonary disease, and a faster transfusion rate appears safe in this population.
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