Protracted respiratory failure in a case of global spinal syringomyelia and Chiari malformation following administration of diazepam: illustrative case.

Background: Syringomyelia is defined as dilation of the spinal cord's central canal and is often precipitated by skull base herniation disorders. Although respiratory failure (RF) can be associated with skull base abnormalities due to brainstem compression, most cases occur in pediatric patients and quickly resolve. The authors report the case of an adult patient with global spinal syringomyelia and Chiari malformation who developed refractory RF after routine administration of diazepam.

Peripheral Insertion of Pediatric Central Venous Catheters in Adults with Difficult I.V. Access.

Background: Difficult intravenous access is a frequent occurrence in critical care and emergency medicine. Prior intravenous access, chemotherapy use, and obesity are a few factors associated with difficult access. Alternatives to peripheral access are often contraindicated, not feasible, or not readily available.

Reports of Guillain-Barre Syndrome Following COVID-19 Vaccination in the USA: An Analysis of the VAERS Database.

Background And Purpose: An association between Guillain-Barre syndrome and its variants (GBS/V) and vaccines has led to hesitancy toward vaccination. COVID-19 vaccines could theoretically provoke GBS/V via immune activation. We analyzed reports of GBS/V after COVID-19 vaccination in the vaccine adverse event reporting system (VAERS).

Military Soft Skills Applicable to the ICU.

Unlabelled: To describe how soft skills acquired during military service can be applied to the practice of critical care medicine.

Data Sources: A systematic search was performed in PubMed.

Study Selection: We selected all studies that addressed soft skills in medicine.

Traumatic Optic Neuropathy: The Forgotten Concussion.

Cerebral concussions are a well-recognized issue in military and civilian practice. Although most physicians are well versed in recognizing concussion symptoms, many are not as adept at diagnosing and managing comorbid traumatic optic neuropathy (TON). Traumatic optic neuropathy typically follows cerebral concussions but is often not diagnosed as its symptoms are attributed to brain injury or the presence of altered consciousness impedes its recognition.