SAEM Clinical Image Series: A Multifactorial Skin Eruption

Phytophotodermatitis - A Multifactorial Skin Eruption 1

A 9-year-old male with no past medical history, brought in by his mother to the ER with a new rash on his face and torso. The rash began 10 days ago. On the day he developed the rash, the patient noted swimming in a newly chlorinated outdoor pool. That same day he also played with freshly picked oranges and limes outdoors with his friends, having squeezed the juices onto his head and body. He developed a non-painful, non-pruritic, hyper-pigmented rash on his left cheek.

Over the course of 3 days, the patient and his family went on a trip to a local river, during which the rash evolved to scattered patches on his face and dorsum of his hands with an associated burning sensation exacerbated by contact with hot water or sunscreen. He received outpatient treated by a medical provider at day 3 for presumed infection with both oral and topical antibiotics. He completed the antibiotics, with worsening of his skin lesions. They have since formed blisters and affected his torso.

The patient never had any similar symptoms, or allergies. He had no sick contacts or travel outside the U.S. He denies any history of trauma, thermal burns, or arthropod exposure. The patient has not had fevers, respiratory symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, or urinary symptoms.

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By |2019-12-23T18:35:31-08:00Dec 24, 2019|Dermatology, SAEM Clinical Images|

IDEA Series: Just-in-Time Training for Diagnostic Paracentesis

AP wrist radiograph

According to the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey, approximately 630,000 adults in the United States have cirrhosis of the liver, 69% of which are reportedly unaware of having liver disease. A diagnostic paracentesis is a simple procedure for identifying spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic patients with ascites. A just-in-time training (JITT) model incorporating low-fidelity equipment readily available in the ED can facilitate procedural teaching of the diagnostic paracentesis.

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By |2019-12-21T13:00:22-08:00Dec 18, 2019|Academic, Gastrointestinal, IDEA series|

SAEM Clinical Image Series: Uncommon Cause of Right Groin Pain

Amyand’s hernia CTA 48-year-old male presents with 2 weeks of severe right lower quadrant abdominal pain and inguinal pain. The patient had similar pain 2 weeks ago, was referred to a surgery clinic, but was lost to follow up. The pain has been progressively worsening over the last 2 days. It’s now severe, associated with nausea and vomiting, does not radiate, and it is worsened with coughing and sneezing. He also endorses polyuria for an unknown length of time. His last bowel movement was 3 days ago. He denies diarrhea, constipation, hematochezia, melena, dysuria, hematuria, or recent trauma.

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By |2019-12-12T21:43:29-08:00Dec 16, 2019|Gastrointestinal, SAEM Clinical Images|

ALiEM AIR | Infectious Disease 2019 Module

Welcome to the AIR Infectious Disease Module! After carefully reviewing all relevant posts from the top 50 sites of the Social Media Index, the ALiEM AIR Team is proud to present the highest quality online content related to infectious disease emergencies. 9 blog posts within the past 12 months (as of September 2019) met our standard of online excellence and were curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. We identified 1 AIR and 8 Honorable Mentions. We recommend programs give 4.5 hours (about 30 minutes per article) of III credit for this module.

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Trick of Trade: Topical lidocaine jelly takes the tears out of skin tears and road rash

Laceration Thin Skin topical lidocaine

Skin tears are a common injury treated in the elderly in the emergency department (ED). Often the skin is paper thin, and the area involved can have a large flap. By the time the patient has arrived, the may blood have dried with a retracted and rolled-in skin flap. Often the surface area is too big and skin to thin to inject local anesthesia around the entire site.

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Syncope as Easy as 1-2-3

AP wrist radiograph

A 66-year-old otherwise healthy man presents by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) after being found unconscious on the ground. On arrival to your emergency department, he is back to his baseline normal mental status and without complaints. His vital signs are within normal limits and his physical exam is unremarkable. Is it a syncope? What are the key features of his history and physical exam that should affect your medical decision making? What should this patient’s work-up entail?

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By |2019-12-02T08:48:04-08:00Dec 9, 2019|Cardiovascular|
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