Chen-June Seak

A case of black urine and dark skin — cresol poisoning

Introduction. Cresol is a phenol derivative used as a disinfectant worldwide. Acute cresol poisoning is potentially fatal as it may cause multiple organ failure. We present a case of acute cresol intoxication in a male patient to illustrate the effects of cresol poisoning. Case. A 42-year-old male presented with black urine, painless brownish dermal burns, and a strong carbolic acid odor. The patient was immediately resuscitated with adequate oxygenation and aggressive fluid resuscitation. He was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit, where his treatment course was complicated by pneumonia, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatic dysfunction, and acute renal failure. After receiving supportive intensive care, the patient recovered and was discharged with no sequelae. Conclusion. The distinctive clinical features of this case may be useful in diagnosis, because laboratory analytical methods for cresols are not routinely available at most hospitals.

The prognostic factors of adult patients with hepatic portal venous gas in the ED

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the prognostic factors of adult patients with hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) in the emergency department (ED) to facilitate clinical decision making by emergency physicians. METHODS Data from adult patients with HPVG who visited our ED between December 2009 and December 2013 were analyzed. The computed tomographic scan images were reviewed, and the presence of HPVG with or without pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) was confirmed by a certified radiologist. The study end point was mortality or survival upon discharge. The factors associated with mortality were specifically analyzed with multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS Among the total of 50 HPVG patients, the overall mortality rate was 56%. No deaths were observed among the patients with neither shock nor PI in the ED. Shock (odds ratio, 17.02; 95% confidence interval, 3.36-86.22) and PI (odds ratio, 5.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-25.67) were determined to be significant predictors of patient mortality after adjusting for age and sex. The mortality of the patients with both shock and PI was very high (84%). CONCLUSIONS Early resuscitation should be initiated for the prevention of shock in adult patients with HPVG in the ED. To enhance the chance for survival, the prompt consultation of surgeons for emergency operations should be considered for adult ED patients exhibiting both shock and PI, which may indicate true ischemic bowel disease.

Performance assessment of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score in predicting the outcomes of adult patients with hepatic portal venous gas in the ED

OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the performance of Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II), the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score for predicting illness severity and the mortality of adult hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). This will assist emergency physicians in risk stratification. METHODS Data for 48 adult HPVG patients who visited our ED between December 2009 and December 2013 were analyzed. The SAPS II, APACHE II score, and SOFA score were calculated based on the worst laboratory values in the ED. The probability of death was calculated for each patient based on these scores. The ability of the SAPS II, APACHE II score, and SOFA score to predict group mortality was assessed by using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and calibration analysis. RESULTS The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 92.6%,71.4%, and 83.3%, respectively, for the SAPS II method; 77.8%, 81%, and 79.2%, respectively, for the APACHE II scoring system, and 77.8%, 76.2%, and 79.2%, respectively, for the SOFA score. In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the areas under the curve for the SAPS II, APACHE II scoring system, and SOFA score were 0.910, 0.878, and 0.809, respectively. CONCLUSION This is one of the largest series performed in a population of adult HPVG patients in the ED. The results from the present study showed that SAPS II is easier and more quickly calculated than the APACHE II and more superior in predicting the mortality of ED adult HPVG patients than the SOFA. We recommend that the SAPS II be used for outcome prediction and risk stratification in adult HPVG patients in the ED.

Acute Hand Ischemia after Intra-arterial Injection of Meprobamate Powder

BACKGROUND Meprobamate tablets contain microcrystalline cellulose, a potent embolic agent that has been shown to cause gangrene in animal studies. Microvascular embolization caused by microcrystalline cellulose can contribute to the ischemic process. OBJECTIVE We report a case of acute hand ischemia after accidental intra-arterial injection of crushed meprobamate powder in a 23-year-old male drug abuser. CASE REPORT The distal tips of the patients right thumb, index finger, ring finger, and little finger continued to develop gangrene despite medical therapy with heparinization, low molecular-weight dextran infusion, corticosteroid administration, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. CONCLUSION We believe this is the first case of acute limb ischemia caused by intra-arterial injection of meprobamate powder documented in humans. Emergency physicians should be aware that accidental intra-arterial injection of crushed oral drug formulations is potentially limb threatening and prompt recognition of similar clinical scenarios is of vital importance.

Cardiac tamponade: a new complication in a patient with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes

We report the first case of cardiac tamponade in a 14-year-old female patient with an underlying illness of mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). The patient underwent a subxiphoid pericardiocentesis and pericardiotomy smoothly and was discharged with no sequelae. The coexistence of massive pericardial effusion and MELAS has never been mentioned in any literature. This case report attempts to exemplify the possibility of this connection.

Rapid Emergency Medicine Score: A novel prognostic tool for predicting the outcomes of adult patients with hepatic portal venous gas in the emergency department

Objective This study aims to evaluate the performance of Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS), Rapid Acute Physiology Score (RAPS), and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) in ascertaining the severity of illness and predicting the mortality of adult hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). This will assist emergency physicians (EPs) in risk stratification. Methods Data for 66 adult HPVG patients who visited the EDs of 2 research hospitals between October 1999 and April 2016 were analyzed. REMS, RAPS, and MEWS were calculated based on data in the ED, and probability of death was calculated for each patient based on these scores. The ability of REMS, RAPS, and MEWS to predict group mortality was assessed by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and calibration analysis. Results The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for each scoring system were 92.1%, 89.3%, and 90.9% for REMS, 86.8%, 82.1%, and 84.8% for RAPS, and 78.9%, 89.3%, and 83.3% for MEWS respectively. In the ROC curve analysis, the areas under the curve for REMS, RAPS, and MEWS were 0.929, 0.877, and 0.856 respectively. Conclusion Our study is the largest series performed in a population of adult HPVG patients in the ED. The results from this study demonstrate that REMS is superior in predicting the mortality of these patients compared to RAPS and MEWS. We therefore recommend that REMS be used for outcome prediction and risk stratification of adult HPVG in the ED.

Effectiveness of hands-on cardiopulmonary resuscitation practice with self-debriefing for healthcare providers: A simulation-based controlled trial:

Introduction: The psychomotor skill of cardiopulmonary resuscitation emphasized the importance of high-quality chest compression. This investigation examined the effect of self-debriefing and the different materials of debriefing during hands-on cardiopulmonary resuscitation practice for healthcare providers. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation training program involving emergency medical technicians in northern Taiwan. Participants were blinded to the study purpose and were allocated randomly using the black envelope method. All participants completed a 2-min pre-test of hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation using a manikin. Those who were allocated to the control group received self-debriefing with knowledge of pre-test result. Those who were allocated to the experimental group received self-debriefing with an additional biomechanical information of performance of chest compression. A post-test was performed 30 min after the pre-test. Results: A total of 88 participants were enrolled with 44 in each group. There was significant difference of cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality after self-debriefing among all participants (pre- vs post-test adequate rate, 54.7% vs 67.5%, p = 0.028; adequate depth, 41.2% vs 69.5%, p < 0.001; full recoil, 35.9% vs 54.5%, p = 0.001). The analysis of effects of self-debriefing with additional knowledge of performance revealed no significant difference in any of the measurements (improvement in adequate rate, 11.3% vs 14.2%, p = 0.767; adequate depth, 29.6% vs 27.0%, p = 0.784; full recoil, 23.0% vs 14.1%, p = 0.275). Conclusion: Self-debriefing improved hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality whether or not biomechanical information of performance of chest compression was given.