At my institution, trauma patients frequently receive the “Pan Scan,” to rule out acute injury. Recently, Payrastre et al published the SCRAP Rule article in CJEM 2012 1 looking to derive and internally validate a clinical decision rule that would identify blunt trauma patients at very low risk for major thoracic injury with 100% sensitivity, thereby eliminating need for a chest CT. Currently, the decision on whether to perform a chest CT is made mostly by clinical judgment.
When doing nasogastric (NG) tubes and fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy (NP) procedures, there many approaches in how patients can be locally anesthetized. Getting things pushed up your nose is so profoundly irritating that most patients only give you 1 or 2 changes to get it right.
One option is to use nebulized lidocaine, although it takes a while to prepare and anecdotally tends to numb mainly the hypopharynx, placing the patient at risk for aspiration later on. Another option is to use viscous lidocaine to coat the NG or NP tubing, but this is fairly messy and only mildly helpful. Commercial intranasal atomizers, which disperse lidocaine over the nasal mucosal surfaces well, are generally effective, but may not be available in some emergency departments.
Get an organized approach on the broad chief complaint of “Altered Mental Status”. Learn about the AEIOU TIPS mnemonic om this 20 minute video by Dr. Rahul Patwari.
“Done Fell Out”, or DFO, is a common saying in the South to describe syncope. Although the saying is funny the diagnosis is not. Syncope accounts for about 3–5% of ED visits and 1–6% of hospital admissions. In patients >65, syncope is the 6th most common cause of hospitalization.
How do you approach the management of patients with syncope?
Case Writer: Clare Desmond, MD
Peer Reviewer and Editor: Nikita Joshi, MD
A 57-year-old male (75 kg) presents to the ED after a witnessed seizure. He describes a history of seizure disorder and is prescribed phenytoin, but recently ran out. A level is sent and, not surprisingly, results as < 3 mcg/mL (negative). After a complete workup, the decision is made to ‘load’ him with phenytoin 1 gm and discharge him with a prescription to resume phenytoin. An IV was not placed.
Can you rapidly load him orally?