ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearls: Painful Hand


What is the recommended treatment for a patient with this hand injury following a sting by the marine creature shown?


What is the recommended treatment for a patient with this hand injury following a sting by the marine creature shown?
A 50-year-old female with a history of bipolar disorder, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and alcoholism presented to the ED after her family found her at home agitated, restless, and with a “large black burn” on her face. Her husband reported that she had been “picking” at this area of her face earlier in the day; at that time it appeared only slightly red. Per her husband, the patient had also felt “bugs crawling on her legs” and had been picking at and grabbing her legs on the day of presentation.
“6 mg IV as a rapid IV push followed by a 20 mL saline flush; repeat if required as 12 mg IV push”
This recommendation remained in the 2015 iteration.
While most drugs are metabolized in the liver, adenosine doesn’t even make it that far, being metabolized in the erythrocytes and vascular endothelial cells. With this extremely short half-life (10 seconds), it is important to help it reach the heart before it’s metabolized and excreted without being effective.

Mastering procedural sedation can make your shifts safer, more efficient, and more comfortable for your patients. But what defines a sedation? What and who do I need? Does my patient need to be fasting? How should I choose and dose my medications? Below is a brief guide to help you be more confident in your definitions, preparation, and medications. Included is a guide card you can print out and clip behind your badge! Read on and be a pro for your next on-shift sedation.
(more…)Which bodybuilding supplement is associated with hyperthermia and this clinical image?
History of Present Illness:
A 4-year-old male presents to the Pediatric ED for evaluation of swallowed foreign body.
The mother reports the patient was at his grandmother’s house playing near a cabinet when they witnessed him put a small unknown object in his mouth and swallow. Family denies vomiting, difficulty breathing, change in behavior, abdominal pain, or any additional symptoms at this time.

Amoxicillin is a penicillin derivative antibiotic against susceptible gram positive and gram negative bacteria. It has reasonable coverage for most upper respiratory infections and is used as prophylaxis for asplenia and bacterial endocarditis. This post aims to demystify amoxicillin treatment for common pediatric infections.
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