A Fatal Case of Penile Calciphylaxis.

Calciphylaxis is a rare and serious complication of chronic renal failure characterized by vascular calcium overload. It has a high mortality rate. Penile calciphylaxis is an extremely rare condition of penile necrosis due to calciphylaxis of the penile arterioles.

A Case and Review of Ophthalmomyiasis Caused by Oestrus ovis in the Central Valley of California, United States.

Ophthalmomyiasis externa is the infestation of external ocular structures most commonly by Oestrus ovis, sheep nasal bot fly, which have a pupal stage in soil. Farmers and shepherds are commonly affected but rarely in urban areas. This is the first case of Oestrus ovis ophthalmomyiasis externa in California since Catalina Island 1986.

Radial Arterial Lines Have a Higher Failure Rate than Femoral.

Introduction: Arterial lines are important for monitoring critically ill patients. They are placed most commonly in either femoral or radial sites, though there is little evidence to guide site preference.

Methods: This is an ambispective, observational, cohort study to determine variance in failure rates between femoral and radial arterial lines.

Adaptation of Predictive Models to PDA Hand-Held Devices.

Prediction models using multiple logistic regression are appearing with increasing frequency in the medical literature. Problems associated with these models include the complexity of computations when applied in their pure form, and lack of availability at the bedside. Personal digital assistant (PDA) hand-held devices equipped with spreadsheet software offer the clinician a readily available and easily applied means of applying predictive models at the bedside.

Rapid oral loading of carbamazepine in the emergency department.

Study Objective: This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of rapid oral loading of carbamazepine in the emergency department (ED).

Methods: Adult patients receiving maintenance carbamazepine who presented with negligible levels received an oral load of carbamazepine suspension, with a dose of 8 mg/kg.

Results: Forty-two oral loads among 36 patients were studied.

Fatal pulmonary embolism in a 10-year old with nephrotic syndrome.

We present a case report of a 10-year-old male with nephrotic syndrome who presented with a complaint of shortness of breath. The patient had been recently hospitalized for an exacerbation of nephrotic syndrome and had received steroid and diuretic therapy. Initial vital signs showed tachycardia and mild tachypnea.