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SAEM Clinical Images Series: An Ominous Umbilical Lesion

umbilical

A 54-year-old male with a past medical history of atrial flutter and alcohol use disorder presents with an umbilical wound that has been bothering him for approximately six months. There is no history of trauma, prior infection, or umbilical surgery. There is intermittent mild pain and irritation that occurs randomly. No drainage or bleeding. He admits to picking at the wound regularly. He denies fever, chills, nausea, generalized abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, dysuria, and hematuria. The patient drinks four or more alcoholic beverages daily and has a long-standing history of tobacco use.

 

Vitals: BP 105/73; HR 70; RR 16; SpO2 97% on room air; Temp 36.1°C

Constitutional: Appears stated age, resting comfortably, well-appearing.

Abdominal: Soft, flat, non-tender.

Skin: Umbilical wound characterized by a peripheral eschar and a central area of hyperpigmented and crusted tissue overlying an area of whiteish moist tissue that was uncovered by gentle cleansing. No surrounding erythema and no areas of fluctuance. No active drainage or malodor.

None available.

Sister Mary Joseph (SMJ) nodule is a rare cutaneous metastasis of gastrointestinal or genitourinary primary malignancies to the umbilicus [1,3]. They are typically firm, painful, indurated, and irregularly shaped, with sizes typically less than 2 cm [1]. They can be ulcerated or necrotic with variable presence of discharge ranging from purulent to serous or serosanguinous [1]. Sister Mary Joseph nodules typically arise late in disease and portend a poor prognosis [1]. Most primary malignancies are adenocarcinomas (75%), and pancreatic cancers represent approximately 9% of umbilical metastases [1]. Mean survival of patients with SMJ nodules is less than 12 months, and less than three in those with pancreatic primaries [1]. Prognosis is slightly less bleak if the SMJ nodule is the only metastatic site [1]. Sister May Joseph Dempsey was a nun and surgical assistant to Dr. William Mayo, the surgeon who developed the approach to umbilical hernia repair and the first to identify the connection between abdominopelvic cancers and umbilical nodules [2,3].

Abdominal CT imaging.

Our patient was discharged on the initial visit with wound care instructions. He returned to the Emergency Department two months later and was admitted for atrial flutter with rapid ventricular response and acute on chronic congestive heart failure. During that visit, the patient had a CT chest/abdomen/pelvis that demonstrated likely a pancreatic tail adenocarcinoma with metastasis to the peritoneal and abdominal walls. The patient declined any further intervention.

Take-Home Points

  • Sister Mary Joseph nodules are umbilical metastases from abdominopelvic primary malignancies.
  • Recognition of their features on clinical exam can lead to a more rapid diagnosis.
  • Prognosis is grim with an average survival of less than one year.

  1. Vekariya P, Daneti DB, Senthamizh Selvan K, Verma SK, Hamide A, Mohan P. Sister Mary Joseph Nodule as an Initial Presentation of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. ACG Case Rep J. 2020 Aug 25;7(8):e00453. doi: 10.14309/crj.0000000000000453. PMID: 32903972; PMCID: PMC7447472.
  2. Palazzi DL, Brandt ML. Care of the umbilicus and management of umbilical disorders. UpToDate. Updated August 27, 2021. Accessed January 2, 2022. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/care-of-the-umbilicus-and-management-of-umbilical-disorders?search=sister%20mary%20joseph%20nodule&source=search_result&selectedTitle=2~6&usage_type=default&display_rank=2#H25.
  3. Tso S, Brockley J, Recica H, Ilchyshyn A. Sister Mary Joseph’s nodule: an unusual but important physical finding characteristic of widespread internal malignancy. Br J Gen Pract. 2013 Oct;63(615):551-2. doi: 10.3399/bjgp13X673900. PMID: 24152477; PMCID: PMC3782795.

Copyright

Images and cases from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Clinical Images Exhibit at the 2021 SAEM Annual Meeting | Copyrighted by SAEM 2021 – all rights reserved. View other cases from this Clinical Image Series on ALiEM.

By |2023-01-02T02:15:58-08:00Jan 9, 2023|Gastrointestinal, Heme-Oncology, SAEM Clinical Images|
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SAEM Clinical Images Series: Dermatology Deserving a Deeper Dive

A 22-year-old female without significant past medical history presented to the Emergency Department (ED) for a progressive rash for the past six months. She had initially complained of dry and peeling skin on bilateral hands and feet and had multiple ED and dermatology encounters where topical steroids, acyclovir, and methotrexate were prescribed with no improvement. The rash continued to progress with worsening pain and inability to flex fingers secondary to lesions and scabbing at the joints. The patient also developed painful sores in her mouth primarily involving the tongue. More concerningly, she had lost 60 pounds since the onset of the rash and mouth lesions which she attributed to the inability to eat due to significant pain. Otherwise, she denied systemic symptoms, exposures, new medications, or previous illnesses.

paraneoplastic

Vitals: Within normal limits

HEENT: Swelling, erythema, and mild desquamation of the tongue mucosa with adherent white discharge present. Lesions are limited to the surface of the tongue with no buccal involvement.

Cardiovascular/Respiratory: Heart sounds within normal limits. Bilateral breath sounds without wheezes, rales, or rhonchi.

Abdomen: Soft, non-tender and non-distended.

Skin: The patient was noted to have desquamated, scabbing and oozing lesions on bilateral palms and fingers, soles of the feet, and web spaces between toes. The patient had no observable vesicles/bullae, or target lesions. Negative Nikolsky sign.

Complete Blood Count (CBC): Mild anemia, stable from baseline.

Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP): Within normal limits.

CT Abdomen/Pelvis with contrast (relevant findings only): Large solid right retroperitoneal mass lobulated in contour with heavy coarse calcifications measuring 21.2 x 8.5 x 10.4 cm, traversing the right hemidiaphragm and extending to the right lower mediastinum. The diaphragm itself is asymmetrically thickened as compared with the contralateral left side with a small volume of adjacent retroperitoneal fluid and there is extension into the right neural foramina.

The diagnosis of paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) was made after skin biopsy along with the constellation of findings including desquamating cutaneous lesions, painful mucosal erosions, and large retroperitoneal mass concerning for malignancy. Skin biopsy findings in this case include a distinct suprabasilar cleft, apoptotic keratinocytes, eosinophilic spongiosis, and superficial perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate with scattered eosinophils. Focally, there was full-thickness necrosis of the epidermis and dermis.

Patients with concern for PNP without known malignancy require a full neoplastic workup. In this case, a biopsy of the retroperitoneal mass and subsequently full resection was notable for Castleman’s disease, a rare lymphoproliferative disorder. PNP is an often fatal paraneoplastic mucocutaneous blistering disease that is most commonly caused by various lymphoproliferative disorders including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and Castleman’s disease. It is an extremely rare condition with an unknown incidence rate. The mucosal erosions present are a requirement for the diagnosis. It typically presents as an erosive stomatitis involving the tongue and is characteristically chronic, progressive, and painful. These lesions are the initial disease manifestation in almost one-half of patients with PNP and often lead to malnutrition secondary to pain with attempts at oral intake. The cutaneous lesions in the disease are widely variable in morphology and can present with tense or flaccid bullae, as well as inflammatory papules or plaques.

Take-Home Points

  • In patients with a progressive rash involving the oral mucosa that have failed multiple outpatient regimens and have findings concerning for possible systemic involvement, dermatology consultation, tissue biopsy, and body imaging are often needed to confirm a diagnosis of complicated disease processes such as paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP).
  • Significant unintentional weight loss may be due to a variety of reasons stemming from one unifying etiology. In this case, our patient had both mouth pain limiting oral intake as well as a lymphoproliferative disorder.

  • Anhalt GJ, Kim SC, Stanley JR, Korman NJ, Jabs DA, Kory M, Izumi H, Ratrie H 3rd, Mutasim D, Ariss-Abdo L, et al. Paraneoplastic pemphigus. An autoimmune mucocutaneous disease associated with neoplasia. N Engl J Med. 1990 Dec 20;323(25):1729-35. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199012203232503. PMID: 2247105.
  • Kaplan I, Hodak E, Ackerman L, Mimouni D, Anhalt GJ, Calderon S. Neoplasms associated with paraneoplastic pemphigus: a review with emphasis on non-hematologic malignancy and oral mucosal manifestations. Oral Oncol. 2004 Jul;40(6):553-62. doi: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2003.09.020. PMID: 15063382.

Copyright

Images and cases from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Clinical Images Exhibit at the 2021 SAEM Annual Meeting | Copyrighted by SAEM 2021 – all rights reserved. View other cases from this Clinical Image Series on ALiEM.

By |2023-01-02T04:44:30-08:00Jan 2, 2023|Dermatology, Heme-Oncology, SAEM Clinical Images|
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SAEM Clinical Images Series: Facial Swelling

facial swelling

A 5-year-old male with a history of recent frontal sinusitis associated with preseptal cellulitis requiring surgery presented with facial swelling. Swelling developed in the 24 hours prior to presentation without facial pain, nausea, or emesis. Denied facial trauma as well as any neurologic deficits, loss of consciousness, headaches, or fever/chills. At the time of his prior surgery, he presented with swelling localized to the left eye along with worsening pain, nausea, and emesis. After surgery, he was discharged in stable condition on antibiotics for 10 days. He has been in his usual state of health since that time.

Vitals: BP 93/59 (Sitting); HR 84; Temp 37.3 °C (99.1 °F) (Oral); Resp 12; Wt 20.6 kg (45 lb 6.6 oz)

General: Active, alert, normal development, and in no acute distress

HEENT: Swelling over the forehead and nasal bridge. Tenderness to palpation over the forehead. No erythema or overlying skin changes.

Nose: Normal appearance. No congestion or rhinorrhea.

Mouth/Throat: Mucous membranes are moist. Oropharynx is clear.

White blood cell (WBC) count: 8.9 x 10^3/uL

Hemoglobin: 11.5 g/dL

Platelets: 365 x 10^3/uL

ANC: 4.490 x 10^3/uL

ESR: 15 mm

CRP: <0.5 mg

In the initial management of this patient, CT imaging of the head with contrast should be used to characterize the lesion and evaluate for intracranial involvement. In our patient, the CT scan showed frontal bone osteomyelitis with possible extension into the subdural space. He was admitted on broad-spectrum antibiotics and surgical washout was performed the following day.

Pott’s Puffy Tumor is a rare but serious complication of sinusitis with potential intracranial involvement. Complications include orbital cellulitis, intracranial abscess, meningitis, and cavernous sinus thrombosis.

Take-Home Points

  • Pott’s Puffy Tumor is a rare potential complication of sinusitis. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to reduce morbidity.
  • CT of the head with contrast is the initial imaging that should be obtained in the emergency department.

  • Blumfield E1, Misra M. Pott’s puffy tumor, intracranial, and orbital complications as the initial presentation of sinusitis in healthy adolescents, a case series. Emerg Radiol. 2011 Jun;18(3):203-10. PMID: 21380513.
  • Palabiyik FB1, Yazici Z, Cetin B, Celebi S, Hacimustafaoglu M. Pott Puffy Tumor in Children: A Rare Emergency Clinical Entity. J Craniofac Surg. 2016 May;27(3):e313-6. PMID: 27100642.

Copyright

Images and cases from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Clinical Images Exhibit at the 2021 SAEM Annual Meeting | Copyrighted by SAEM 2021 – all rights reserved. View other cases from this Clinical Image Series on ALiEM.

By |2022-12-08T22:22:41-08:00Dec 19, 2022|HEENT, Pediatrics, SAEM Clinical Images|
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SplintER Series: Hip, Hip, Hooray!

A 67-year-old male with a history of bilateral total hip arthroplasties (THA) several years ago presents with left hip pain after a fall. He was walking downstairs and slipped, twisting his leg internally and with adduction and flexion of the hip to catch himself. He denies falling but felt an immediate pop in his left hip and could no longer bear weight. AP and lateral radiographs of the pelvis and left hip were obtained and are shown above (Image 1. Case courtesy of Dr Andrew Taylor, Radiopaedia.org, rID: 67457).   (more…)
By |2022-12-08T14:15:48-08:00Dec 16, 2022|Expert Peer Reviewed (Clinical), Orthopedic, SplintER|
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Free Comprehensive Curriculum: Climate Change and Emergency Medicine

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a few of us interested in climate change science met through the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), and our group slowly expanded with the virtual world. We discussed the ever-growing number of climate publications and scholarship opportunities available. Some of us did research, education, or policy work, and all of us practiced clinically.

Negative climate-related impacts that we see in the Emergency Department

We discussed how climate-related impacts negatively affected our patients, and brainstormed how we could tackle the problem now. For us in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado, and California, the climate crisis was pathology and interrupted treatment regimens, but also an opportunity to transform current care systems. At all of our hospitals, patients were brought in by ambulance with empty inhalers and non-functioning medical devices after losing electrical power. Monitors beeped from abnormal vital signs of patients impacted by extreme heat, inland and coastal flooding, or wildfires. We recognized the dangers related to place of residence and structural drivers that exacerbated existing health disparities. We agreed that open access education was the next step to action and striving for justice across our nation together.

How to start your climate change learning and advocacy journey?

More and more colleagues asked us where they could begin their own climate and emergency medicine journeys. We used our varied local and global experiences to curate content that could be used for journal clubs, medical simulation, quality improvement projects, grant applications, and other educational tracks or electives. Our goal was to provide a starting place for individuals who may not have dedicated faculty at their institutions.

Get caught up: Comprehensive 10-module curriculum

Climate change and emergency medicine 10-module curriclum

We are proud to announce a comprehensive 10-module curriculum on Climate Change and Emergency Medicine (EM) worth 56 hours of ALiEMU learning credits. Each module encompasses a broad range of reading materials and is followed by a brief quiz on ALiEMU. All of this is available for free. Get learning now.

Go to the CLIMATE CHANGE & EMERGENCY MEDICINE course home page

Be a climate changemaker

We hope the material reminds all of us of what actions are needed yet: authentic partnerships, clear communication of the robust evidence that we know, inclusivity, and leadership. Like emergency medicine, climate change and health work is truly life-long learning. Yet, knowledge is only as good as its use. We look forward to years of innovative solutions that move beyond dialogue and meaningfully address some of the greatest barriers to well-being for our patients and global community.

climate change and EM ALiEMU mega badge climate changer

By |2022-12-13T14:27:20-08:00Dec 14, 2022|ALiEMU, Environmental, Medical Education|
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SAEM Clinical Images Series: Finger Pain

finger pain

A 57-year-old male presents after accidentally firing his son’s expired epinephrine autoinjector containing 0.3 mg of epinephrine into his left thumb two hours prior to arrival. He endorses mild pain and numbness at the tip of his thumb. The patient had spoken to poison control who had instructed him to present to the Emergency Department if his symptoms did not improve after two hours. He denied any palpitations or other systemic symptoms.

 

Vitals: HR 81; BP 128/81; RR 18; SpO2 99%

Extremities: Pallor noted at the distal tip of his left thumb extending 2 to 3 cm proximally with a central 2 mm area of bruising. Capillary refill could not be elicited in the left thumb pad. Sensation was intact to light touch and motor strength was intact in the left thumb.

No lab work was performed.

Treatment modalities are primarily based on case reports and range from conservative measures to local infiltration of vasodilatory medications. [1] Conservative treatments include digital massage, warm water soaks, and local application of nitroglycerin paste. Varying degrees of success have been associated with these conservative treatments. In our case, conservative measures failed and we proceed with local infiltration of phentolamine mesylate. The dosage and volume administered vary widely in reports; however, commonly reported doses were 2 to 3.5 mg of phentolamine reconstituted with 1 to 2 ml of 2% lidocaine or normal saline. This is then injected locally at multiple locations in the affected region or as a digital block. In our case, reperfusion occurred within minutes after local infiltration with approximately 1.5 mg of phentolamine reconstituted with lidocaine. No systemic side effects were noted.

There have been no documented reports of ischemic necrosis associated with accidental digital epinephrine injection. Additionally, spontaneous resolution in the majority of cases at less than two hours has been widely reported, though in some cases symptoms may persist for hours to days. [1,2] Though phentolamine may provide rapid symptomatic relief of pallor, pain, and/or paresthesia for the patient, limited data exist on long-term clinical outcomes and the overall effect on prognosis. [3]

The recommendation to never use lidocaine with epinephrine for digital nerve blocks or local digital infiltration is propagated in medical education. However, a large retrospective review of 127 accidental digital epinephrine injection cases noted a majority had spontaneous resolution. [2] Further, large studies from surgical literature have reported that local infiltration of lidocaine with epinephrine is safe and resulted in prolonged anesthesia and reduced bleeding.

Take-Home Points

  • Spontaneous resolution of accidental digital epinephrine injection often occurs within two hours and no cases of ischemic necrosis have been reported.
  • Symptomatic relief may be achieved with local phentolamine mesylate infiltration if conservative measures have failed. Commonly reported total effective doses range from 2 to 3.5 mg in volumes of 1 to 2 ml of 2% lidocaine or normal saline.

  • McNeil C, Copeland J. Accidental digital epinephrine injection: to treat or not to treat? Can Fam Physician. 2014 Aug;60(8):726-8. PMID: 25122817; PMCID: PMC4131962.
  • Muck AE, Bebarta VS, Borys DJ, Morgan DL. Six years of epinephrine digital injections: absence of significant local or systemic effects. Ann Emerg Med. 2010 Sep;56(3):270-4. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2010.02.019. Epub 2010 Mar 26. PMID: 20346537.

Copyright

Images and cases from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Clinical Images Exhibit at the 2021 SAEM Annual Meeting | Copyrighted by SAEM 2021 – all rights reserved. View other cases from this Clinical Image Series on ALiEM.

By |2022-12-08T21:58:38-08:00Dec 12, 2022|SAEM Clinical Images|
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