Compartment Syndrome Secondary to Vascular Transection from a Knee Dislocation

Acute knee dislocation is a rare orthopedic injury with an incidence of <0.02% annually. The authors discuss a case involving a vascular injury sustained from a mechanical fall at home causing compartment syndrome. The case illustrates known complications associated with knee dislocations: vascular injury and compartment syndrome as well as the high suspicion needed in certain patient populations, such as Down's syndrome. It highlights the importance of rapid diagnosis, a complete physical exam, and the need to involve consultants in a timely fashion. A high index of suspicion for vascular injury following trauma to the knee, regardless of the mechanism is imperative.

Intravenous Thrombolysis for a Stroke Mimic Patient

The authors present the case of a young woman on phentermine and herbal supplements who presented as an acute stroke alert with right-sided facial droop and numbness. She was treated acutely with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). However, the workup did not reveal any evidence of cerebrovascular disease or cerebral infarct. The authors discuss plausible stroke mimics and the safety of administering tPA to such patients.

Physician-Perceived Barriers to Treating Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department

Objective We aimed to assess physicians' perceptions of barriers to starting medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in the Emergency Department (ED), views of the utility of MAT, and abilities to link patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) to MAT programs in their respective communities. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey study of American emergency medicine (EM) physicians with a self-administered online survey via SurveyMonkey (Survey Monkey, San Mateo, California). The survey was emailed to the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD) listserv and HCA Healthcare affiliated EM residency programs' listservs. Attendings and residents of all post-graduate years participated. Questions assessed perceptions of barriers to starting OUD patients on MAT, knowledge of the X-waiver, and knowledge of MAT details. Statistics were performed with JMP software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) using the two-tailed Z-test for proportions. Results There were 98 responses, with 33% female, 55% resident physicians, and an overall 17% response rate. Residents were more eager to start OUD patients on MAT (71% vs 52%, p=0.04) than attendings but were less familiar with the X-waiver (38% vs 73%, p=0.001) or where community outpatient MAT facilities were (21% vs 43%, p=0.02). Conclusion Barriers in the ED were identified as a shortage of qualified prescribers, the lengthy X-waiver process, and the poor availability of outpatient MAT resources. EM residents showed more willingness to prescribe MAT but lacked a core understanding of the process. This shows an area of improvement for residency training as well as advocacy among attendings.

Rare Presentation of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Submassive Pulmonary Emboli Due to Hypercoagulable State With Supratherapeutic Anticoagulation

We present a case of an elderly male with multiple co-morbidities, including atrial fibrillation on warfarin and recently diagnosed left lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT), who presented to the emergency department for dyspnea. He was found to be hypoxic and mildly hypotensive. He was diagnosed with submassive pulmonary emboli (PE) despite having a supratherapeutic international normalized ratio (INR). In this case report, the clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, and management of this patient are discussed.

A Rapid Diagnosis and Treatment of a Traumatic Aortic Transection: A Case of Survival to the ICU

We present the case of a young man with traumatic aortic dissection secondary to a motor vehicle collision. While the differential diagnosis for traumatic injury after a motor vehicle collision can include commonly studied and trained for cases, such as pneumo/hemothorax, pulmonary contusion, splenic laceration, and pelvic fractures, for example, one of the more deadly and hence rare presentations of motor vehicle trauma is aortic transection. The fact that the diagnostic studies included as part of the initial Advanced Trauma Life Support^® (ATLS^®) trauma survey are not well equipped to diagnose such an injury is also a deadly factor. In this case review, we explore factors affecting the timely diagnosis, management, and outcomes of traumatic aortic injury. Prompt diagnosis is imperative in order to save a patient's life.

Hypercoagulable State in COVID-19: A Case Series of Three Patients

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that originated in China in late 2019, has caused significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although fever, cough, and shortness of breath have been recognized as hallmark symptoms, other lesser known complications continue to be described. We report a series of three patients who presented to the emergency department, who tested positive for COVID-19, and were found to have or subsequently developed thromboembolic complications. 

Delta Lactate (Three-hour Lactate Minus Initial Lactate) Prediction of In-hospital Death in Sepsis Patients

This study examines the relationship between serial serum lactate levels and in-hospital mortality in an adult cohort of emergency department patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Of the 164 patients in the cohort, 130 also got three-hour lactate in addition to the initial one. The median initial lactate was 3.01 (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.71-4.62). The median repeat lactate was 2.58 (IQR: 1.4-3.9). The in-hospital death rate was 23% for men and 29% for women. The delta lactate was significantly higher in women (P=0.0070), driven by a lower initial lactate (P=0.0277). In a multivariate regression model controlled for age and gender, a statistically significant correlation was noted between an increase in the delta lactate and in-hospital death (P=0.0323; R²=11.3%). The results of this single-center study suggest that an increase in serum lactic acid is significantly associated with higher in-hospital death.

Serum Procalcitonin Level Is Associated with Positive Blood Cultures, In-hospital Mortality, and Septic Shock in Emergency Department Sepsis Patients

This study examines the accuracy of initial and subsequent serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels in predicting positive blood cultures, in-hospital mortality, and development of septic shock in emergency department (ED) patients with severe sepsis. This study includes all patients who presented to our ED with an admission diagnosis of severe sepsis over a period of nine months. The median initial PCT was 0.58 ng/mL, interquartile range (IQR) 0.16-5.39. The median subsequent serum PCT was 2.1 ng/mL, with an IQR of 0.3-11.1. The PCT trend over the initial three hours increased in 67% of the study population. Blood cultures were positive in 38% of the cohort. The median maximum PCT in those with a negative blood culture was 1.06 ng/mL compared to 4.19 ng/mL in those with a positive blood culture (p=0.0116). Serum PCT levels >2.0 ng/mL display significant correlation with positive blood cultures, in-hospital mortality, and development of septic shock and as such may serve as a biomarker for more serious infections.

Sepsis Cards and Facts: A Simple Way to Increase Sepsis Bundle Compliance

Objective

The objective of this study was to improve sepsis bundle compliance via an educational intervention in our emergency department (ED).

Methods

This was a before and after study. Historical data on sepsis bundle compliance was obtained from our quality officer. Data were collected for 30 consecutive days to compare sepsis bundle compliance rates before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics were compiled, and the z-test for proportions was used to calculate statistical significance.

The intervention was two-fold: 1) a bright yellow card with sepsis criteria listed was posted on all ED workstation computers and 2) there was a daily email blast for one month with “sepsis facts.” These email blasts were short pearls that highlighted the importance of recognizing and treating sepsis.

Results

The sepsis bundle compliance rates in the month prior to the intervention was 38%. In the month during the targeted intervention, the compliance rate increased to 56%. There was a statistically significant increase in bundle compliance rates during the intervention (p=0.0399).

We also administered a survey to the ED attendings and residents following the completion of the study to assess whether they perceived that our intervention was helping them increase compliance with ordering the sepsis bundle. The response rate was 94%. To the question “Did you feel the sepsis cards placed on the workstations make you more likely to consider sepsis earlier in patients under your care in the emergency department?” 70% answered agree or strongly agree. To the question “Were you more likely to order the sepsis bundle after receiving the daily "Sepsis Facts"?” 29% were neutral while 59% answered agree or strongly agree. Finally, to the question “Did you feel the sepsis cards and "sepsis facts" help you improve the care of Septic patients in the emergency department?” 76% answered agree or strongly agree.

Conclusion

Sepsis criteria reminders and email blasts highlighting the importance of treating and recognizing sepsis can improve compliance with sepsis bundle ordering within the emergency department.