Serkan Emre Eroglu

Determination of the appropriate catheter length and place for needle thoracostomy by using computed tomography scans of pneumothorax patients

INTRODUCTION The primary goal of this study was to compare the chest wall thicknesses (CWT) at the 2nd intercostal space (ICS) at the mid-clavicular line (MCL) and 5th ICS at the mid-axillary line (MAL) in a population of patients with a CT confirmed pneumothorax (PTX). This result will help physicians to determine the optimum needle thoracostomy (NT) puncture site in patients with a PTX. MATERIALS AND METHODS All trauma patients who presented consecutively to A&E over a 12-month period were included. Among all the trauma patients with a chest CT (4204 patients), 160 were included in the final analysis. CWTs were measured at both sides and were compared in all subgroup of patients. RESULTS The average CWT for men on the 2nd ICS-MCL was 38mm and for women was 52mm; on the other hand, on the 5th ICS-MAL was 33mm for men and 38mm for women. On the 2nd ICS-MCL 17% of men and 48% of women; on the 5th ICS-MAL 13% of men and 33% of women would be inaccessible with a routine 5-cm catheter. Patients with trauma, subcutaneous emphysema and multiple rib fractures would have thicker CWT on the 2nd ICS-MCL. Patients with trauma, lung contusion, sternum fracture, subcutaneous emphysema and multiple rib fractures would have thicker CWT on the 5th ICS-MAL. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms that a 5.0-cm catheter would be unlikely to access the pleural space in at least 1/3 of female and 1/10 of male Turkish trauma patients, regardless of the puncture site. If NT is needed, the 5th ICS-MAL is a better option for a puncture site with thinner CWT.

Etiologies and delirium rates of elderly ED patients with acutely altered mental status: a multicenter prospective study

Objectives: Altered mental status (AMS) is a challenging diagnosis in older patients and has a large range of etiologies. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of such etiologies for physicians to be better aware of AMS backgrounds and hence improve outcomes and mortality rates. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at 4 emergency departments. Patients 65 years and older who presented to the emergency department with acute AMS (≤1 week), with symptoms ranging from comas and combativeness, were eligible for inclusion in this study. The outcomes, etiologies, Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale scores, and the presence of delirium were recorded. Results: Among 822 older patients with AMS, infection (39.5%) and neurological diseases (36.5%) were the most common etiologies. The hospital admission and mortality rates were 73.7% (n = 606) and 24.7% (n = 203), respectively. The mortality rate rose if AMS persisted for more than 3 days. Delirium was observed in 55.7% of the patients; these individuals had higher durations of AMS than those without delirium (median, 24 hours; interquartile range, 3‐48 hours; median 6 hours, interquartile range, 3‐48 hours, respectively; P = .010). Notably, delirium was observed in more than two‐thirds of neurological patients. Conclusions: The most common causes of AMS were infection and neurological diseases. Delirium was associated with AMS in nearly half the patients. Moreover, the rates of hospitalization and mortality remained high.

The effects of adrenomedullin in traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common cause of death and disability throughout the world. A multifunctional peptide adrenomedullin (AM) has protective effects in the central nervous system. We evaluated AM in an animal model as a therapeutic agent that reduces brain damage after traumatic brain injury. A total of 36 rats was divided into 3 groups as sham, head trauma plus intraperitoneal (ip) saline, and head trauma plus adrenomedullin ip. The diffuse brain injury model of Marmarou et al. was used. Blood samples were taken from all groups at the 1st, 6th and 24th hours for analysis of TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), IL-1β (interleukin-1β) and IL-6 (interleukin-6) levels. At the end of the study (at the 24th hour) a neurological examination was performed and half of the rats were decapitated to obtain blood and tissue samples, the other half were perfused transcardiacally for studying the histopathology of the brain tissue. There were no statistically significant changes in plasma levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α relative to the sham group. Also, changes in tissue levels of malonedialdehyde, myeloperoxidase and glutathione were not statistically significant. However, neurological scores and histopathological examinations revealed healing. AM individually exerts neuroprotective effects in animal models of acute brain injury. But the mechanisms of action remain to be assessed.

Social media, FOAMed in medical education and knowledge sharing: Local experiences with international perspective

Social media, through the Internet and other web-based technologies, have become a means of communication and knowledge-sharing. In this article, we provide details about the social media traffic of various scientific activities, the organizations of which we have played an active role in. We also provide information in our native language through our FOAMed website, which has been published for about 30 months, with us acting as editors. We are comparing these local and limited ventures with examples from the world and aim to remind that social media sources play a very important role in sharing knowledge in medical training and encouraging local initiatives, like ours, with limited resources.

Analysis of Repeated CT Scan Need in Blunt Head Trauma.

Background. Computed tomography (CT) is a vital tool in the workup of patients with closed head trauma. The aim of this study was to investigate the necessity of serial CT scans in patients with blunt head trauma. Methods. This is a retrospective study analyzing trauma patients between January and June 2012. Data were analysed by using frequencies, Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S), and Chi-square tests. Results. Of the total 351 control Head CTs, it was seen there were no different in 346 (98.6%). In CTs of another 3 patients (0.9%), there were increasing or new, in the other 2 (0.6%) there was a decrease in the pathology present. Of 24 (6.8%) patients who had a hemorrhage in the first CT, there was an increase in the hemorrhage in one of them, a decrease of the pathology in 2 of them. Of 27 (7.7%) patients who had fracture in first CT, 2 had a new intracranial hemorrhage. The relation of the results between the first and second CTs were statistically significant (P < 0.001, χ 2 test). Conclusion. Repeated CT scans after 6 hours in EDs observation rooms are not necessary if first CT is normal in most situations. Special attention may be needed in patients with an underlying chronic disease.

What is the meaning of “temporary” forensic reports for Emergency physicians? Self protection? Bias? Habit?...

Marmara Üniversitesi Pendik Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Acil Tıp Kliniği, İstanbul; Toros Devlet Hastanesi, Acil Servis, Mersin; İskenderun Devlet Hastanesi, Acil Servis, Hatay Serkan Emre EROĞLU,1 Sıddıka Nihal TOPRAK,2 Aydın Deniz KARATAŞ,3 Özge ONUR,1 Çiğdem ÖZPOLAT,1 Emre SALÇIN,1 Arzu DENİZBAŞI1 Acil Hekimleri için “Geçici” Adli Raporların Anlamı Nedir? Kendini Koruma? Önyargı? Alışkanlık?...

Earliest electrocardiogram is golden for the diagnosis of Brugada Syndrome

Cardiac syncope can be classified as being either structural or dysrhythmogenic in origin, and it may be the only warning symptom of sudden cardiac death. One of the causes of dysrhythmic sudden cardiac death in young adults with structurally normal hearts is Brugada syndrome. Electrocardiogram (ECG) of Brugada syndrome is characterized by an ST-segment elevation in the right precordial leads. A 23-year-old man was presented to our emergency department (ED) with a history of syncope which has occurred 30 minutes before arrival and lasted for 10 minutes. Both physical and neurological examinations were unremarkable. Family history revealed coronary artery disease of his father and sudden death at 45. Initial ECG performed 3 minutes after his arrival showed a type 2 repolarization variant of Brugada syndrome. This pattern was reverted back to normal 5 minutes later and never showed up again on his future ECGs. In our case, it was only the earliest ECG that made the diagnosis possible since all future ECGs showed a perfectly normal pattern throughout the follow-up period. In all syncope patients, initial ECGs should be kept and filed to be reviewed again in case the primary physician is not competent enough for the evaluation of ECG.

Predictors of false negative diffusion-weighted MRI in clinically suspected central cause of vertigo

Introduction: Vertigo is classified as peripheral and central. Differentiation of stroke mimics is the most important diagnostic challenge. There is no clinical guidance for the indications of neuroimaging in isolated vertigo patients. The primary aim of this study is to test the diagnostic value of a DWI‐MRI protocol to rule‐out a central cause in patients with acute isolated vertigo in the ED. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 144 patients who were presented with isolated vertigo to the ED. A detailed neurological examination and maneuvers were performed for differential diagnosis. All patients underwent CT and/or DW‐MRI either during ED visit or at the follow‐up, if necessary. Out‐patient follow‐up exams and evaluations were repeated until all patients had a definitive diagnosis. Results: In the study, 137 of the 144 patients completed the follow‐up period, and 34 of 137 patients were diagnosed with central vertigo. Six of 34 central vertigo patients had normal DW‐MRI findings. One was diagnosed with migraine headache and five with vertebra‐basilar insufficiency during the out‐patient follow‐up. One of the 28 patients with a pathological MRI was diagnosed with mass and the rest was stroke. The utility of DW‐MRI in vertigo patients was moderately high (sensitivity: 82%, specificity: 100%). We found that age, history of HT, history of CAD and vertigo unresponsive to ED treatment were significantly associated with a central cause of vertigo. Conclusion: We suggest that unresponsiveness to ED treatment, especially in patients with a history of HT and CAD, should alert physicians for central causes and warrant DW‐MRI imaging.

Spinal Trauma is Never without Sin: A Tetraplegia Patient Presented Without any Symptoms

SUMMARY Spinal cord injuries are amongst the most dangerous injuries, leading to high mortality and morbidity. Injured patients are occasionally faced with life-threatening complications and quality-of-life changing neurological deficits. Thoracic and cervical spinal segments are the most effected sites of injury and a wide range of complications including paraplegia, respiratory and cardiovascular compromise secondary to autonomic dysfunction or tetraplegia may ensue. We aim to draw attention to the progressive nature of the neurological deficits in a patient admitted asymptomatically. Also, we would like to discuss the importance of swift diagnosis and management in such patients. In asymptomatic patients in whom no fractures are diagnosed with CT scans, a neurological examination should be repeated several times to exclude any neurological injuries that were missed. MRI should be ordered in an emergency setting even though it is not frequently used as a diagnostic modality. This should be done especially in patients without any fractures on CT but with neurological signs.

Details of motorcycle accidents and their impact on healthcare costs.

BACKGROUND Of overall traffic accidents in 2011 in Turkey, 7.58% (n=21,107) were motorcycle accidents. Motorcycle accidents and their impact on healthcare costs are investigated in our study. METHODS Motorcycle accidents that occurred with/without a collision between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011 were studied prospectively through the inspection of patients visiting the Emergency Service. The healthcare costs relevant to each person injured in a motorcycle accident were investigated via forms. Data were analyzed using frequencies, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney U, and chi-square tests on the SPSS v16.0 program. RESULTS Ninety-one people involved in accidents, with a mean age of 28.47 years, were studied. The average healthcare expenditure for the 91 patients studied between reception and discharge was US