Spontaneous Pneumothorax as a Complication of COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Case Report.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. It typically presents with respiratory symptoms such as fevers, cough, and shortness of breath. As the number of cases increases, however, COVID-19 is being increasingly recognized as being associated with a variety of other respiratory pathologies.

Pitfalls and Pearls in Delusional Parasitosis.

Delusional parasitosis is an uncommon psychiatric disorder that manifests as having parasitic delusions. Due to its rarity, delusional parasitosis is a challenging and costly diagnosis of exclusion and proves difficult to manage for many providers. Although this syndrome is frequently discussed in psychiatric and dermatology reports, it is not commonly described in emergency medicine (EM) literature.

Increased access to urgent care centers decreases low acuity diagnoses in a nearby hospital emergency department.

Objective: We studied the impact four new urgent care centers (UCCs) had on a hospital emergency department (ED) in terms of overall census and proportion of low acuity diagnoses from 2009 to 2016. We hypothesized that low acuity medical problems frequently seen in UCCs would decrease in the ED population. Since Medicaid was not accepted at these UCCs, we also studied the Medicaid vs non-Medicaid discharged populations to see if there were some differences related to access to urgent care.

Mesenteric ischemia and protein S deficiency: a rare case report.

We present an unusual case of a 31-year-old nulliparous woman who was in her normal state of health until 3 weeks before her Emergency Department visit, when she began to have generalized abdominal pain that got acutely worse over a few days. She had a soft abdomen, but complained of excruciating pain. Her computed tomography (CT) scan revealed thrombosis in the superior mesenteric, splenic, and portal veins.

Cortical blindness, a rare complication of pre-eclampsia.

This is a case report of a previously undiagnosed pregnant teenager who presented to the emergency department with cortical blindness. She was found to be pre-eclamptic with the HELLP syndrome. She underwent immediate cesarean section, with delivery of a viable 32-week-old infant.

A survey of the emergency department population and their interest in preventive health education.

Objective: To determine which preventive health information the emergency department (ED) population (patients and visitors) would be most interested in having available to them while they spend time in the waiting area.

Methods: This was a prospective survey of consecutive adults seated in the ED waiting area during a representative week on predetermined shifts. The survey asked them to indicate whether they would be interested in obtaining information about the following preventive health issues: breast cancer, prostate cancer, smoking, obesity, stress reduction, exercise programs, alcohol/drugs, HIV, blood pressure screening, immunizations, referrals to primary care physicians, Pap smears, car safety, smoke detectors, domestic and youth violence, depression, gun safety, and safe sex.

Why don't emergency department patients have advance directives?

Objectives: In 1997 the authors determined that only 27% of their adult ED patients had advance directives (ADs). The purpose of this follow-up study was to determine the reasons why their adult ED patients do not have ADs.

Methods: This prospective study enrolled patients from a convenience sample of representative shifts in the ED selected over a three-month period.

Clinical features of bleb disorder of the cornea.

Background: Bleb disorder of the cornea is a rare corneal epithelial disorder that has previously been described in asymptomatic patients or those with recurrent nontraumatic corneal erosions.

Methods: We report two cases of bleb disorder, each presenting with blurred vision from irregular astigmatism secondary to the bleb changes. We also report on the detection of bleb disorder in siblings.

Are emergency department patients thinking about advance directives?

Objectives: To assess the percentage of adult patients presenting to an urban ED who have a written advance directive (AD) and to determine whether age, sex, a patient's perception of his or her health status, and having a regular physician are associated with the patient's having an AD.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional patient survey performed at a community teaching hospital ED. Surveys were completed by 511 adult ED patients during representative shifts over a 3-month period.

CO2 laser in vitreoretinal surgery.

Radiation from a CO2 laser has the dual effect of phototransection and photocoagulation. Incisions have been made in scleral-chorioretinal tissue, lens tissue, and the vitreous body (with and without membrane formation). Results indicate that the CO2 laser may be useful in intravitreal surgery.

CO2 laser in vitreoretinal surgery: 1. Quantitative investigation of the effects of CO2 laser radiation on ocular tissue.

Scleral, lens, and vitreoretinal tissue was incised using CO2 laser radiation in a controlled and predictable fashion without producing untoward effects on neighboring ocular tissue. The penetration depth of infrared radiation into normal human vitreous was measured and was found to be exceedingly small. A quantitative correlation was observed between the CO2 laser power and the depth of penetration in scleral-chorio-retinal wall incisions and in lens tissue from human eyebank eyes.

Comparison of tissue reaction to nylon and prolene sutures in rabbit iris and cornea.

The tissue reaction in rabbit iris and cornea to prolene suture is equivalent to the tissue reaction to nylon suture. The prolene suture retains its tensile strength indefinitely and this may make it particularly useful in situations where a permanent suture is desired, such as in refractive keratoplasty, scleral buckle, or to suture an intraocular lens to the iris. The prolene suture also has a greater elasticity and this property may be advantageous in some clinical applications.