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Scholarly Works (2 results)

  • Article
  • Peer Reviewed
Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine, Volume 4, Issue 4 (2020)

Introduction: Wound botulism is a rare and potentially fatal infectious disease, often seen in patients who abuse injection drugs. It classically presents with dysfunction of bilateral cranial nerves followed by proximal and distal motor weakness, which can progress to respiratory failure.

Case Report: We report a case of a 31-year-old female who presented to the emergency department for the fifth time with an eight-day history of isolated dysphagia without any other neurologic symptoms. She reported a history of injection drug abuse via “skin popping,” was admitted to the hospital, and ultimately diagnosed with wound botulism.

Conclusion: This case exemplifies the diagnostic pitfalls of rare diseases such as wound botulism and provides insight regarding the diagnosis and treatment of this entity. This case also highlights the unique medical and social challenges emergency physicians face while trying to reliably evaluate patients who abuse controlled substances.

    Cover page: Dysphagia Alone as a Unique Presentation of Wound Botulism in the Emergency Department: A Case ReportCreative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine, Volume 1, Issue 4 (2017)
    Pulmonary embolism is associated with significant mortality and impaired long-term functional outcomes. Timely identification and treatment is crucial for successful management. Unfortunately, prompt diagnosis can be challenging in patients without overt signs of cardiovascular compromise. Point-of-care cardiac ultrasound (POCCUS) can be used to identify signs of acute pulmonary embolism, risk stratify patients for adverse outcomes and assess response to therapy. This report describes a patient with submassive pulmonary embolism and evidence of acute right ventricular strain on POCCUS successfully treated with thrombolytic therapy. The dynamic changes observed on point-of-care ultrasound are presented.
      Cover page: Successful Point-Of-Care Ultrasound-Guided Treatment of Submassive Pulmonary EmbolismCreative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
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