About Paige Ruiz, MD

Emergency Medicine Resident
Department of Emergency Medicine
Stanford University

SAEM Clinical Images Series: A Lethal Combination of Skin and Lung Findings

dermatomyositis

A 49-year-old female with a past medical history of recurrent diverticulitis initially presented with one month of shortness of breath and a minor nonproductive cough for which she was started on doxycycline by her primary care provider. She then developed a rash on her chest, upper back, and face. Antibiotics were switched to amoxicillin and azithromycin. She underwent a brief admission of six days for shortness of breath but did not have an oxygen requirement at that time. She was evaluated by pulmonology (evaluated for cocci, unknown results), and then discharged. She then presented again to the ED with two weeks of worsening shortness of breath, intermittent fevers (Tmax 101°F), nausea/vomiting, fatigue, and arthralgias.

Vitals: BP 100/66; HR 128; Temp 37.2 °C (99 °F); Resp 44; SpO2 84%; BMI 28.25 kg/m2; Wt 79.4 kg (175 lb); Ht 1.676 m (5′ 6″)

General: NAD

Cardiovascular: Tachycardia, no m/r/g

Lungs: Coarse breath sounds at bases bilaterally, tachypneic

Abdomen: Soft, non-distended

Skin: Heliotrope rash to face (violaceous, erythematous rash to eyelids and nasolabial fold), shawl sign (erythematous patches to chest and upper back), shallow ulcers to tongue and lower inner lip, tender papules involving palms and lateral fingers bilaterally, and faint erythema of proximal nail fold

White blood cell (WBC) count: No leukocytosis

ESR: Elevated

LDH: Elevated

CK: Within normal limits

CXR: Bilateral infiltrates

CTPE: Negative for PE, but with scattered areas of ground glass and consolidative opacities throughout both lungs.

If emergency medicine physicians consider MDA5 Dermatomyositis (MDA5 DM) with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) on their differential for patients presenting with skin and pulmonary symptoms, this can result in more rapid diagnosis and aggressive treatment.

This patient was admitted requiring 40 L HFNC, then two days later required intubation for severe ARDS and was placed on VV-ECMO the same day. Her hospital course was complicated by tachyarrhythmias requiring cardioversion, and Takostubo physiology. She was found to be MDA-5 antibody positive and ultimately expired while waiting for a lung transplant.

Take-Home Points

  • Critical actions in approaching ED patients with dermatological physical exam findings (even in the absence of known rheumatological history) with progressive pulmonary symptoms should include early consideration of dermatomyositis, serologic testing, early rheumatology and pulmonology consults, and early consideration of ECMO as a bridge to response to immunotherapy or lung transplant
  • Beginning these critical actions with first patient contact in the ED will only help improve patient outcomes throughout hospitalization.
  • Huang K, Levy RD, Avina-Zubieta JA. Successful lung transplant in rapid progressive interstitial lung disease associated with anti-melanoma differentiation associated gene 5. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020 Aug 1;59(8):2161-2163. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaa032. PMID: 32068868.
  • Koga T, Fujikawa K, Horai Y, Okada A, Kawashiri SY, Iwamoto N, Suzuki T, Nakashima Y, Tamai M, Arima K, Yamasaki S, Nakamura H, Origuchi T, Hamaguchi Y, Fujimoto M, Ishimatsu Y, Mukae H, Kuwana M, Kohno S, Eguchi K, Aoyagi K, Kawakami A. The diagnostic utility of anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody testing for predicting the prognosis of Japanese patients with DM. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2012 Jul;51(7):1278-84. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/ker518. Epub 2012 Feb 29. PMID: 22378718.
  • Moghadam-Kia S, Oddis CV, Sato S, Kuwana M, Aggarwal R. Anti-Melanoma Differentiation-Associated Gene 5 Is Associated With Rapidly Progressive Lung Disease and Poor Survival in US Patients With Amyopathic and Myopathic Dermatomyositis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2016 May;68(5):689-94. doi: 10.1002/acr.22728. PMID: 26414240; PMCID: PMC4864500.

Trick of the Trade: Antibiotic ointment for removal of artificial nail glue from eyelids

A bottle of nail glue and timolol eye drops (reproduced with permission from BMJ Publishing Group Ltd [1])

You are working a busy shift in your department’s fast track area and sign up for a patient with a complaint of “eye pain.” The patient is a fan of glue-on nails and mistook her nail glue bottle for her eyedrops. Now she is unable to open her eyelid for the exam and you struggle to open it yourself. You want to avoid cutting the adhered eyelashes and wonder if there’s a better solution.

Background rise of artificial, press-on nails

Artificial acrylic or “press-on” nails were first invented in the 1950s; however, they did not gain in popularity until the 1980s as nail art became a trend [2]. Shortly thereafter, they fell out of style until a resurgence occurred with the COVID pandemic forcing the closure of nail salons. Compared to pre-pandemic values, Google searches for “press on nails” increased 300% [3]. Application of most nails requires nail glue, which often contains a mixture of alcohol, cyanoacrylate (superglue), or photo-bonded methacrylate [4].

Nail glue complications

Use of nail glue at home can result in adverse exposures with the most common location being the eye [5]. Because nail glue is often packaged in small containers identical to eye drop bottles, patients can mistake the nail glue for ophthalmic drops — especially those with visual impairment [6]. This exposure was first described in the medical literature in 1982 and has been described many times since despite repeated calls for manufacturers to modify the bottles to be safer [1].

In the presence of water, cyanoacrylate rapidly polymerizes, leading to the bonding effect [5]. If the glue gets into a person’s eye, reflexive blinking pushes the glue to the eyelid margins resulting in the eyelashes or eyelid margins sticking together [5], also known as inadvertent tarsorrhaphy. Methods to open the eyelids include removal of glue with forceps, removal or cutting of the eyelashes, or soaking the eye for hours to days with a moist gauze [1, 6, 7].

Although the most successful solvent to dissolve dried glue is acetone, this can cause corneal and conjunctival injuries [8]. The effectiveness of other solvents has been debated in the literature with mixed reports of efficacy [9].

Trick of the Trade: Apply petroleum-based topical antibiotic ointment

Our personal experience managing several of these cases suggests that a petroleum-based topical antibiotic ointment, such as Bacitracin, can help loosen the glue bond. It is an inexpensive option with minimal harm to fix inadvertent eyelid adhesion from nail glue (or other superglue). It is worth trying before attempting more aggressive techniques.

eyelid nail glue adhesion inadvertent tarsorrhaphy ointment

Before and after application of topical antibiotic ointment to remove inadvertent nail glue causing eyelid adhesion

Materials Needed

  • Bacitracin ointment (1-2 tubes)
  • Cotton-tipped applicatiors (Q-tips)

Technique

  1. Apply the topical ointment liberally to the affected eye.
  2. Let rest undisturbed for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Gently pull the eyelids and eyelashes apart.
    • Be careful not to massage the area too vigorously onto the eye itself, as any residual local glue can result in corneal trauma.
    • You can use cotton-tipped applicators to help gently tease the lid margins apart.
  4. Copiously irrigate the eye.
  5. Perform an eye exam to assess for ocular injury.
  6. Consider obtaining an ophthalmology consult.

References

  1. Yusuf IH, Patel CK. A sticky sight: cyanoacrylate “superglue” injuries of the eye. BMJ Case Rep. 2010;2010:bcr11.2009.2435. doi:10.1136/bcr.11.2009.2435
  2. Quinn J. Not Your ’80s Press-Ons: Why the Press-On Manicure Trend Is a Must-Try. Sunday Edit. Published June 10, 2022. Accessed October 26, 2022.
  3. Google Trends on “press on nails”. Google Trends. Accessed October 26, 2022.
  4. Brambilla E, Crevani M, Petrolini VM, et al. Exposure to Nail and False Eyelash Glue: A Case Series Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(12):E4283. doi:10.3390/ijerph17124283
  5. Forrester MB. Characteristics of ocular nail glue exposures reported to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System during 2000-2019. Clin Toxicol Phila Pa. 2021;59(7):633-638. doi:10.1080/15563650.2020.1834115
  6. Samet A, Li DQ, Al-Qahtani A, Arthurs B, El-Hadad C. Nail glue injuries to the eye: assessment of two cases. Can J Ophthalmol. 2022;57(1):e11-e13. doi:10.1016/j.jcjo.2021.04.026
  7. Cohen J. Super Glued Shut. Brown Emergency Medicine. Published Apr 12, 2017. Accessed February 5, 2023.
  8. Reddy SC. Superglue injuries of the eye. Int J Ophthalmol. 2012;5(5):634-637. doi:10.3980/j.issn.2222-3959.2012.05.18
  9. Prouty H, Adams DS, Heard K. Evaluation of Treatments for Cyanoacrylate Eyelash Adhesion Using an In-Vitro Model. Cutan Ocul Toxicol. 2008;27(1):11-14. doi:10.1080/15569520701856732
By |2023-02-06T13:59:27-08:00Feb 8, 2023|Ophthalmology, Tricks of the Trade|
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