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SAEM Clinical Image Series: Inguinal Masses

A 50-year-old female with a past medical history of gastritis and marijuana abuse presents to the Emergency Department (ED) with epigastric abdominal pain for one day. The patient reports she was seen in the ED one month prior for similar symptoms and had an ultrasound of the gallbladder, which was negative. She was discharged home with prescriptions for Pepcid, Carafate, and Zofran. Once discharged home she did not experience any symptoms until the day prior to presenting again to the ED. The patient denies nausea, vomiting, back pain, dysuria, hematuria, subjective fevers, chills, diarrhea, vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, chest pain, or shortness of breath. Of note, the patient also reports intermittent bilateral inguinal discomfort, stating she believed she had inguinal hernias, which would become tender without exertion or any notable inciting factor.

 

inguinal mass

Vitals: HR 82; T 97.1°F; BP 147/95; RR 20; O2 sat 100% on room air

General: No acute distress

Cardiovascular: Regular rate and rhythm; no murmur; bilateral upper extremity and lower extremity pulses palpable

Gastrointestinal: Soft; generalized tenderness, predominantly epigastric; no abdominal masses

Genitourinary: Pelvic exam deferred; normal external vaginal exam; bilateral inguinal masses, non-tender, no overlying cellulitis

White blood cell (WBC) count: 5.64 k

Hemoglobin (Hgb): 10.4 g/dL

Hematocrit (Hct): 33.0%

Platelet count: 279 k

Complete metabolic panel (CMP): Unremarkable

Urine pregnancy test (UPT): Negative

DDX: Bilateral inguinal hernias, abscess, undescended testicles.

The abnormal findings in this patient were consistent with undescended rudimentary testicles in a patient without a prior diagnosis of true hermaphroditism (an ovotesticular disorder of sex development [DSD]). Our patient was phenotypically a female, with developed breasts, vagina, uterus, and ovaries, although uterus and ovaries were noted to be diminutive on imaging. Our patient identified herself as a female of homosexual orientation.

True hermaphroditism is characterized as the presence of seminiferous tubules and ovarian follicles in the same individual. Genitalia is usually ambiguous; however, patients may appear phenotypically male or female. Reproductive organ differentiation is a complex process involving multiple pathways and receptors, predominantly antimüllerian hormone (AMH). When testes differentiate, the secretion of AMH will lead to regression of müllerian structures, and lack of AMH will result in progression of female organ development (e.g., fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, and upper vagina). The vast majority of patients with hermaphroditism will have a uterus or uterine horn, and most patients have breast development, ovulation, and menstruation.

Patients should be educated about the importance of close follow-up and the possible complications involved with this diagnosis. Although some patients may be asymptomatic and therefore undiagnosed, undescended testicles are at a slightly increased risk for gonadal tumors and may also suffer from testicular torsion. Patients may need to have a biopsy of undescended testes to confirm testicular tissue and be required to have surgical removal of testes.

Take-Home Points

  • The differential diagnosis for bilateral inguinal masses in a phenotypically female patient includes undescended testicles.
  • Patient education is of utmost importance as undescended testicles are still at risk of testicular torsion and carry an increased risk of testicular cancer.

  • English RE, Tulloch DN, Blaquiere RM. The demonstration of true hermaphroditism by computed tomography. Clin Radiol. 1986 Nov;37(6):593-4. doi: 10.1016/s0009-9260(86)80035-6. PMID: 3791859.
  • van Niekerk WA, Retief AE. The gonads of human true hermaphrodites. Hum Genet. 1981;58(1):117-22. doi: 10.1007/BF00284158. PMID: 6895206.
  • Walker AM, Walker JL, Adams S, Shi E, McGlynn M, Verge CF. True hermaphroditism. J Paediatr Child Health. 2000 Feb;36(1):69-73. doi: 10.1046/j.1440-1754.2000.00432.x. PMID: 10723695.
  • White, P. C. (2012). Disorders of Sexual Development. In Goldman’s Cecil Medicine (pp. 1511–1519). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4377-1604-7.00241-4

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 |2022-01-01T23:43:19-08:00Jan 3, 2022|Genitourinary, SAEM Clinical Images|
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SAEM Clinical Image Series: I Have a Stomachache

stomachache

An 18-year-old male with no significant past medical history presents with diffuse abdominal pain and multiple episodes of non-bloody, non-bilious vomiting for three days. The patient was seen yesterday at another facility and states he was diagnosed with gastritis and discharged with Zofran, which provided no relief. He denies fever, diarrhea, or urinary symptoms and states his last bowel movement was two days ago and was consistent with his usual bowel movements.

 

 

Vitals: T 97.7ºF; HR 138; BP 122/98; RR 18; O2 sat 99% on RA

General: Thin male, appears uncomfortable

Abdominal: Mild distention with diffuse tenderness to palpation; no guarding or rebound tenderness

White blood cell (WBC) count: 13k

Complete metabolic panel (CMP): Mild hypokalemia; otherwise unremarkable

Lactate: 4.9

Urinalysis (UA): Mild ketonuria; no hematuria; no evidence of infection

Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA) syndrome also known as Wilke’s or Cast Syndrome is a condition where the third section of the duodenum gets compressed between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta leading to a proximal obstruction in the duodenum and stomach. The most common etiology of SMA syndrome is the loss of the mesenteric fat pad surrounding the SMA. This leads to an acute angulation between the SMA and the aorta, thus compressing the duodenum and causing a partial or complete obstruction. While the condition is rare, predisposing factors include sudden weight loss and chronic illnesses such as malabsorption syndromes, AIDS, and malignancy.

Treatment in the acute stage is conservative management including gastric decompression, IV fluids, correction of electrolyte abnormalities, and nutritional support, which may include temporary gastro-jejunostomy (GJ) tube placement. Severe refractory cases may require surgical intervention. This patient was admitted and treated conservatively, including a temporary GJ tube placement which was removed a few months later.

Take-Home Points

  • Consider SMA syndrome in patients with a history of sudden weight loss or chronic illness.
  • Look for very proximal obstruction on CT with significant gastric distension.
  • Acute management is conservative treatment.

  • Hamden, A. & Scovell, S. (2020). Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome. In K. Collins (Ed.), UpToDate. Retrieved January 4, 2021, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/superior-mesenteric-artery-syndrome
  • Niknejad, M. & Ranschaert, E. (2018). Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome. Radiopedia.org. Retrieved January 4, 2021, from https://radiopaedia.org/articles/superior-mesenteric-artery-syndrome?lang=us
  • Karrer FM. (2017). Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome. Medscape Reference. Retrieved December 22, 2020, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/932220-overview Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. (2018). Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome. [Online]. Available at: https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/7712/superior-mesenteric-artery-syndrome#:~:text=Superior%20mesenteric%20artery%20syndrome%20(SMAS,complete%20blockage%20of%20the%20duodenum

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 |2021-12-02T13:55:35-08:00Dec 20, 2021|Gastrointestinal, Pediatrics, SAEM Clinical Images|
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SAEM Clinical Image Series: Vomiting in the Pediatric Patient

vomiting

A 2-year-old boy with a past medical history of Hirschsprung disease presents to the emergency department (ED) with vomiting, abdominal distension, and inability to tolerate PO for one day. His parents had been instructed by their pediatric surgeon to perform rectal irrigations 2-3 times daily for the few days prior to presentation.

 

Vital signs within normal limits.

General: Appears lethargic

HEENT: Oral mucosa dry

Abdomen: Moderately distended; decreased bowel sounds

Skin: Normal turgor

Non-contributory

The differential diagnosis for pediatric patients presenting with vomiting is broad and includes but is not limited to gastritis, diabetic ketoacidosis, pyloric stenosis, appendicitis, intussusception, urinary tract infection, colic, toxic ingestion, volvulus, incarcerated hernia, and bowel obstruction. However, in a child with Hirschsprung disease who presents with vomiting, an emergency medicine physician must maintain a high degree of suspicion for Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC).

Hirschsprung disease is a rare congenital condition affecting approximately 1-in-5,000 births that refers to a functional intestinal obstruction due to the absence of ganglionic cells in the myenteric plexus of the distal colon. Life-threatening complications of Hirschsprung disease include bowel obstruction, Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC), and toxic megacolon. HAEC is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients. HAEC can present with vague symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, vomiting, rectal bleeding, constipation, and lethargy. Due to these nonspecific symptoms, it is necessary for emergency medicine physicians to maintain a high index of suspicion for HAEC. Once diagnosed, immediate resuscitation should begin with the placement of a rectal tube for decompression, initiation of broad-spectrum antibiotics and fluids, as well as urgent pediatric surgery consultation.

Take-Home Points

  • HAEC can present with nonspecific symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, fever, lethargy, abdominal distension, and obstipation.
  • HAEC must be quickly identified in patients with Hirschsprung disease due to the risk of rapid decompensation from hypovolemic shock secondary to dehydration, septic shock from HAEC, and the development of toxic megacolon.
  • HAEC is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients with Hirschsprung disease.

  • Guillaume AWD, Miller AC, Nguyen MC. Enterocolitis in a Child With Hirschsprung Disease. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2019 Jul;35(7):e131-e132. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000001108. PMID: 28328696.
  • Demehri FR, Halaweish IF, Coran AG, Teitelbaum DH. Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis: pathogenesis, treatment and prevention. Pediatr Surg Int. 2013 Sep;29(9):873-81. doi: 10.1007/s00383-013-3353-1. PMID: 23913261.
  • Gosain A. Established and emerging concepts in Hirschsprung’s-associated enterocolitis. Pediatr Surg Int. 2016 Apr;32(4):313-20. doi: 10.1007/s00383-016-3862-9. Epub 2016 Jan 19. PMID: 26783087; PMCID: PMC5321668.
  • Maloney, Patrick J. “Gastrointestinal Disorders.” Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 9th Edition. Chapter 171. Page 2126-2144. 2018.

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 |2021-12-02T13:34:44-08:00Dec 13, 2021|Gastrointestinal, Pediatrics, SAEM Clinical Images|
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SAEM Clinical Image Series: Painful Weeping Rash

rash

A 67-year-old nontoxic appearing male patient with a history of coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, transient ischemic attack, gout, renal colic, and squamous cell carcinoma presents with concern for multiple new painful lesions on his body. The rash first appeared five months ago but disappeared for some time before reappearing. It has worsened over the past few weeks. He has pain, erythema, pruritus, and urticarial, blistering, crusted lesions. He has had clear drainage from ruptured blisters. His only recent change in medication is an increase in his allopurinol (initiated four months ago; increased three weeks ago). He has tried Benadryl and steroids with minimal relief and is quite frustrated as this is his fourth emergency department visit for this complaint.

 

Skin: Multiple areas of 1-3 cm bullae (both tense and flaccid as well as open/ulcerated) on the trunk, groin, axilla, inguinal folds, palms, and dorsum of feet, not on soles; papules coalesce into annular plaques; no mucosal involvement

None. Complete blood count (CBC) from seven days prior showed normal counts and 9.4% eosinophils.

This patient has bullous pemphigoid. Also included on the differential is bullous lupus erythematosus, urticaria, DRESS (Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms), epidermolysis bullosa, and erythema multiforme.

Diagnosis may be made through clinical recognition of the typical features. The workup for a definitive diagnosis begins with histopathologic direct immunofluorescence from a skin biopsy of the edge of a blister and the surrounding normal-appearing skin, which is then confirmed with indirect immunofluorescence of the patient’s serum.

Take-Home Points

  • Bullous pemphigoid is a chronic, inflammatory, subepidermal, blistering disease. It is the result of an attack on the basement membrane of the epidermis by IgG +/-IgE immunoglobulins and activated T lymphocytes.
  • It primarily affects elderly individuals in their 50s-70s, with an average age at onset of 65 years, and is often associated with stroke or dementia.
  • The most common treatments for bullous pemphigoid are anti-inflammatories (topical and oral steroids), immunosuppressants, and doxycycline. Treatment regimens are aimed to minimize the systemic side effects of the treatment itself, while also decreasing inflammation, blister formation, and autoantibody production.

  • Oakley, A. Bullous pemphigoid. Jan 2016. [Online] Available at:
    https://dermnetnz.org/topics/blistering-skin-conditions/
  • Chan, L. Bullous Pemphigoid. Oct 2020. [Online] Available at: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1062391-overview

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 |2021-12-02T13:13:48-08:00Dec 6, 2021|Dermatology, SAEM Clinical Images|
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Dose Order Matter? Which Antibiotic to Give First for a Bloodstream Infection

Background

Early antibiotics are recommended for treatment of many infections, including patients with sepsis or septic shock [1]. Critically-ill patients and those with a suspected infection at risk for severe illness are generally administered two (or more) empiric antibiotics in the emergency department (ED) which cover a wide range of potential pathogens. A typical approach includes utilizing a broad-spectrum antibiotic (frequently a beta-lactam such as cefepime or piperacillin-tazobactam) plus an anti-MRSA agent (typically vancomycin).

Early in the patient’s hospital stay they may have limited IV access, so the question often arises as to which antibiotic to give first, the broad-spectrum antimicrobial or the anti-MRSA agent. Additionally, though the overall risk of an allergic reaction is relatively low with most antimicrobials, when multiple agents are given simultaneously it can be difficult to ascertain which one may have caused a reaction and lead to incorrectly documented allergies, so it can be important to consider if the initial doses should be administered separately. However, there isn’t strong data to guide practice in terms of giving the initial antibiotics concurrently vs consecutively, from an allergy perspective. To further complicate the issue, patients may also develop delayed reactions so a strong causal relationship cannot always be determined. In practice, there are times (increasingly so with rising ED patient volumes) when we give antibiotics one at a time simply for logistical reasons. So that begs the question, which antibiotic should be given first?

Evidence

In patients with sepsis or septic shock, early antibiotics significantly decrease mortality [1]. This relationship is strongest for patients with septic shock, where the odds of in-hospital mortality was increased by 1.04-1.16 for each hour antibiotics were delayed [2-4]. Notably, broad spectrum antibiotics are deemed such as they cover both gram positive and gram negative pathogens, therefore the addition of an anti-MRSA agent contributes a relatively smaller amount of coverage and is primarily targeted at resistant gram-positive bacteria. Additionally, gram-negative pathogens tend to cause a higher degree of illness and mortality, so it would be reasonable to give the broad-spectrum antibiotic first [5-7]. As both cefepime and piperacillin-tazobactam are recommended to be infused over 30 minutes (though this can vary based on institutional policies) and vancomycin is typically infused over 1 hour for each gram, if vancomycin is administered first, patients may wait hours to receive a broad spectrum agent.

A recent study now supports this practice. This is an observational trial which evaluated 3,376 patients with a blood stream infection, 2,685 patients received a beta-lactam first and 691 patients received vancomycin first [8]. They found that patients who received a beta-lactam prior to vancomycin had significantly improved 48-hour and 7-day mortality. Further review of this article may be found on the JournalFeed blog post.

Bonus tip: Having antibiotics stocked on the unit reduces time to administration [9].

Bottom Line

  • Antibiotic delays lead to increased mortality, especially in patients with septic shock.
  • For patients with a suspected bloodstream infection, administering the broad-spectrum antibiotic first, instead of the anti-MRSA agent, has the potential to reduce mortality at 48 hours and 7 days. This should be the general approach for treatment of all infections when two or more antimicrobial agents are indicated.

Want to learn more about EM Pharmacology?

Read other articles in the EM Pharm Pearls Series and find previous pearls on the PharmERToxguy site.

References

  1. Evans L, Rhodes A, Alhazzani W, et al. Surviving sepsis campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2021. Crit Care Med. 2021;49(11):e1063-e1143. PMID: 34605781. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000005337.
  2. Seymour CW, Gesten F, Prescott HC, et al. Time to treatment and mortality during mandated emergency care for sepsis. N Engl J Med. 2017;376(23):2235-2244. PMID: 28528569. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1703058.
  3. Liu VX, Fielding-Singh V, Greene JD, et al. The timing of early antibiotics and hospital mortality in sepsis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017;196(7):856-863. PMID: 28345952. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201609-1848OC.
  4. Peltan ID, Brown SM, Bledsoe JR, et al. Ed door-to-antibiotic time and long-term mortality in sepsis. Chest. 2019;155(5):938-946. PMID: 30779916. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2019.02.008.
  5. Abe R, Oda S, Sadahiro T, et al. Gram-negative bacteremia induces greater magnitude of inflammatory response than Gram-positive bacteremia. Crit Care. 2010;14(2):R27. PMID: 20202204. doi: 10.1186/cc8898.
  6. Alexandraki I, Palacio C. Gram-negative versus Gram-positive bacteremia: what is more alarmin(G)? Crit Care. 2010;14(3):161. PMID: 20550728. doi: 10.1186/cc9013. 
  7. Morgan MP, Szakmany T, Power SG, et al. Sepsis patients with first and second-hit infections show different outcomes depending on the causative organism. Front Microbiol. 2016;7:207. PMID: 26955367. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00207.
  8. Amoah J, Klein EY, Chiotos K, Cosgrove SE, Tamma PD, CDC Prevention Epicenters Program. Administration of a β-lactam prior to vancomycin as the first dose of antibiotic therapy improves survival in patients with bloodstream infections. Clin Infect Dis. Published online October 4, 2021:ciab865. PMID: 34606585. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab865.
  9. Lo A, Zhu JN, Richman M, Joo J, Chan P. Effect of adding piperacillin-tazobactam to automated dispensing cabinets on promptness of first-dose antibiotics in hospitalized patients. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2014;71(19):1663-1667. PMID: 25225451. doi: 10.2146/ajhp130694.
By |2022-01-03T09:54:42-08:00Dec 4, 2021|EM Pharmacy Pearls, Infectious Disease|
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