About Eric M. Beyer, MD

Resident
Department of Emergency Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine

SAEM Clinical Image Series: The Cocaine Gut

pneumoperitoneum

A sixty-five-year-old male with a medical history of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hypertension, alcohol dependence, homelessness, and cocaine abuse presents to the emergency department with abdominal pain for three days. The patient describes his abdominal pain as knife-like, 9/10, located diffusely throughout his abdomen, with associated anorexia and nausea. He reports that he had one episode of coffee ground emesis this morning which provoked him to come to the ED. He reports frequent cocaine use with his last use three days ago. He endorses subjective fevers, chills, and no bowel movement for two days. He has had no sick contacts.

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SAEM Clinical Image Series: Found Down with Altered Mental Status

non-contrast head CT

A forty-nine-year-old male with a history of polysubstance abuse, including methamphetamine and intravenous (IV) drug use, rectal cancer, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was brought into the emergency department by emergency medical services (EMS) after he was found down at the bottom of a flight of stairs by his roommate. In the emergency room, he was found to have a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 7 and was intubated for airway protection. Non-contrast head CT was performed. Per the roommate, the patient had been “not himself,” exhibiting strange behavior and weight loss. History and review of systems (ROS) were otherwise unobtainable due to the acuity of illness.

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