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How to handle the difficult airway, part 2Abstract: The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) and intubating LMA are valuable alternatives in patients in whom intubation has failed and who need oxygenation and ventilation immediately. The dual-lumen, dual-cuffed airway tube is effective in a variety of settings and can tolerate ventilation at pressures as high as 50 cm H2O; it is contraindicated in awake patients who have intact airway reflexes, caustic ingestions, and upper airway obstruction from a foreign body or pathology. Surgical airways are lifesaving techniques when intubation is unsuccessful or impossible through the mouth or nose. It may be particularly appropriate in patients with laryngeal or facial trauma, upper airway obstruction, or oropharyngeal injury. When patients aged 12 years and older cannot be ventilated by mask or intubated with traditional methods, surgical or needle cricothyrotomy is the procedure of choice. (J Respir Dis. 2005;26(7):298-302)
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Diagnosis of isolated axillary neuropathy in athletes: Case studiesCase studies of athletes with isolated axillary neuropathy provide an overview of this injury's anatomy and function, which are key to definitive diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
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Hughes-Stovin SyndromeA 22-year-old man complained of progressive shortness of breath and abdominal distention. Three years before, he had completed chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease and had since been in remission. Recently, he had been treated for tonsillitis with oral antibiotics.
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Matters of the Heart: Pericardial TamponadeA 70-year-old woman with no previousmedical problems had had progressivedyspnea and generalized weaknessfor the past several days. She washypotensive (73/31 mm Hg), tachycardic(120 beats per minute), andtachypneic (28 breaths per minute);oxygen saturation (room air) via pulseoximetry was 84%.
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Post-Test on Obesity in Primary CareTake this brief quiz to see what you’ve learned about the challenges and opportunities of obesity management.
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Indoor mold and your patient's health: From suspicion to confirmationAbstract: The manifestations of indoor mold-related disease (IMRD) include irritant effects, such as conjunctivitis and rhinitis; nonspecific respiratory complaints, such as cough and wheeze; hypersensitivity pneumonitis; allergic fungal sinusitis; and mycotoxicosis. The diagnosis of IMRD depends on eliciting an accurate history and excluding preexisting pathology that would account for the patient's symptoms. Laboratory tests, imaging studies, and spirometry can play an important role in ruling out other diagnoses, such as allergic or nonallergic rhinitis, asthma, and pneumonia. The diagnosis of IMRD also involves integrating the results of immunologic, physiologic, and imaging studies with the results of indoor air-quality studies. (J Respir Dis. 2005;26(12):520-525)
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Case In Point: Polydipsia, polyuria, and pneumothorax in a young woman with diffuse cystic lung lesionsA 23-year-old woman was referred to our interstitial lung disease (ILD) clinic with a diagnosis of LAM, a progressive cystic ILD that affects women of childbearing age. The patient had been a smoker since the age of 16, but she quit smoking about 2 months before the clinic visit, when she had a pneumothorax. At that time, she complained of sudden onset right-sided chest pain with shortness of breath for which she was admitted to her hometown hospital.
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Gastric Outlet Obstruction Shown in Barium Swallow StudyAn 88-year-old woman was brought to the emergency department after she choked on a piece of meat. She had dysphagia of many years’ duration and progressive weight loss over the past 5 years.
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Bronchoscopy Clinic: A patient with "worsening asthma"A 45-year-old man was referred to our pulmonary clinic for progressive dyspnea and worsening asthma. His shortness of breath had been worsening over the past 2 years. He denied fever, weight loss, and other systemic complaints.
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Which Came First? Restless Legs Syndrome or Insomnia?A 60-year-old woman complains that she has had "no energy" for the past 6 months. She wants to know how she can get a better night's sleep and inquires about new insomnia medications she has seen advertised on television.
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Recalcitrant KeratosesApplication of liquid nitrogen often must be repeated several times when used to treat thick seborrheic keratoses--and still may be ineffective. For an immediate and excellent cosmetic result, try liquid nitrogen for 5 seconds, followed by gentle curettage.
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Cephalosporins: How to Minimize the Risk of NeurotoxicityCephalosporins are usually considered relatively safe antibiotics; however, serious neurological adverse effects can occur following administration.1-5 Manifestations of cephalosporin-induced neurotoxicity may include confusion, disorientation, twitching, somnolence, myoclonus, and seizures, particularly in patients with reduced renal function.6,7 Here we discuss the mechanism, risk factors, and management of cephalosporin-induced neurotoxicity.
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A Decade of Advances and ChallengesMany advances and challenges have occurred inthe field of pediatric infectious disease medicineduring the past 10 years. Because this is the 10thanniversary of this column, a summarization of what, inmy opinion, are the most clinically significant developmentsis presented here.
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Medication Nonadherence and the Risks of Hospitalization, Emergency Department Visits, and Death Among Medicare Part D Enrollees With DiabetesThe authors are affiliated with the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, in University, Miss. Dr Yang is assistant professor in the department of pharmacy administration.
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Rectal VaricesLoose, irregular bowel movements were the complaint of a 56-year-old man. He underwent colonoscopic examination. The dilated vascular structures shown are rectal varices: portosystemic collateral veins that develop with portal hypertension.
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Colorectal Cancer Screening: Which Tests, How Often?ABSTRACT: Screening options for colorectal cancer (CRC) include colonoscopy every 10 years, annual fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, or double contrast barium enema every 5 years. In white patients at average risk, screening should begin at age 50; in African American patients, at age 45. Colonoscopy is preferred to sigmoidoscopy because it can detect proximal neoplasms and has the longest protection interval. High-risk patients include those with a family history of CRC or adenomas. These persons should begin colonoscopic screening at age 40, or 10 years earlier than the age at which CRC or adenomas were diagnosed in a first-degree relative. Other high-risk patients are those with a personal history of CRC, a genetic syndrome, or inflammatory bowel disease. In patients with CRC, the first follow-up colonoscopy is performed 1 year after surgery. If results are normal, the interval can be extended to every 3 years.
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Drug-induced lung diseases: A state-of-the-art reviewp>Drug-induced lung disease (DILD) can be caused by a variety of agents, including chemotherapeutic drugs, antiarrhythmic agents, antibiotics, and NSAIDs. The clinical syndromes associated with DILD include alveolar hypoventilation, acute bronchospasm, organizing pneumonia, and hypersensitivity reactions. Amiodarone lung toxicity often manifests as a chronic fibrosing alveolitis, characterized by an insidious onset of cough, dyspnea, and weight loss. Important components of the workup include chest radiography, pulmonary function testing, and bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). BAL is particularly helpful in identifying eosinophilic pneumonia and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage and in ruling out infectious causes. Management includes drug withdrawal and, in some cases, corticosteroid therapy. Before starting corticosteroids, it is important to rule out infectious causes of lung disease, particularly in patients receiving chemotherapy. (J Respir Dis. 2009;30(1))
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A reduction in D l CO may be an early sign Recognizing PAH in patients with systemic sclerosis key words: Pulmonary arterial hypertension, Systemic sclerosis, Sclerodermaabstract: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a common complication in patients with systemic sclerosis and is associated with an increased mortality rate. Patients are often asymptomatic early in the disease, but as the disease progresses, exertional dyspnea and fatigue develop. The workup usually includes chest radiography, pulmonary function tests, and Doppler echocardiography. If the results of Doppler echocardiography are consistent with PAH, the patient should undergo right heart catheterization. Patients with mild PAH who demonstrate considerable vasoreactivity are potential candidates for treatment with oral calcium channel blockers. Other therapies that can reduce symptoms and improve exercise tolerance and hemodynamics include bosentan and epoprostenol.
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Case In Point: What caused diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in a patient with gout?Allopurinol, commonly used to treat patients with gout, has been known to cause hypersensitivity reactions. We report a case of drug-induced delayed multiorgan hypersensitivity syndrome secondary to allopurinol use. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in a patient presenting with allopurinol-induced rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms.
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Headache Pain, Bipolar Disorder, and Mood ModulatorsA 45-year-old man has a history of migraine that started shortly after puberty. The headaches became more frequent andsevere 3 years ago, when the patient was promoted from metal worker to shift boss.
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Thyrotoxicosis presenting as pulmonary hypertensionThe authors describe a woman who presented with severe pulmonary hypertension. A cardiopulmonary cause was initially sought, but thyrotoxicosis was the underlying cause.
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Complications of Diabetes Mellitus: Lisfranc Fracture and DislocationA 53-year-old man with a 20-year history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (for which he required insulin) sought evaluation of a hot, swollen right foot that seemed to have become “flat.” He had no pain, fever, or chills. The patient’s metatarsal bones were readily movable, consistent with Charcot joint. Further workup ruled out osteomyelitis. Plain films demonstrated extensive deformity of the tarsal and metatarsal bones with Lisfranc fracture/dislocation through the base aspects of all 5 metatarsals.
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Creeping Eruption-Cutaneous Larva MigransCutaneous larva migrans (CLM), also known as “creeping eruption,” is the most commonly acquired tropical dermatosis
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Severe Migraine: Options for Acute Therapy in the Emergency DepartmentA 36-year-old man with a 15-year history of episodic migraine presents to the emergency department (ED) at 5 AM witha right-sided throbbing headache of 4 hours' duration. The headache awakened him, which is typical of his more severemigraine attacks. Unfortunately, the patient forgot to refill his prescription for pain medication and did not "catch" thisheadache in time. He took an over-the-counter combination of aspirin and caffeine, which seemed to help for about 60minutes, but the headache has returned full force. He has vomited twice-another characteristic typical of his migraineattacks
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Benign Migratory GlossitisThe sharply demarcated, smooth red plaques on this 3-year-old's tongue had been present for several months.
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Disseminated Echinococcosis Involving the Pulmonary ArteryDisseminated echinococcal disease can present complex management issues that require a multidisciplinary approach to care. We describe a patient with hydatid disease who had multiple cysts in the liver, lungs, and pulmonary artery that were caused by Echinococcus granulosus infection.
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Case In Point: Peripheral nerve sheath tumor mimicking pulmonary embolismWe describe a case in which a patient received thrombolytic therapy after he presented with a clinical picture consistent with submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). Two months later, a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor was diagnosed, and the patient died with metastatic disease. The filling defect in the left main pulmonary artery originally interpreted as PE was in fact a tumor. This case describes an unusual presentation of a rare disease (malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor) mimicking a submassive PE.
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Primary synovial sarcoma presenting as an endobronchial massEndobronchial primary synovialsarcoma is an extremelyrare pulmonary tumor. We reportthe case of a 58-yearoldman who presented witha right-sided endobronchialmass, which was diagnosed asprimary synovial sarcoma onthe basis of histological appearanceand immunohistochemicalstaining. To the bestof our knowledge, this is onlythe third case report of endobronchialprimary synovialsarcoma.
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Recognizing the impact of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with asthmaAbstract: The coexistence of asthma and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in a given patient presents a number of diagnostic and treatment challenges. Although the relationship between these 2 diseases is complex, it is clear that risk factors such as obesity, rhinosinusitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can complicate both asthma and OSA. In the evaluation of a patient with poorly controlled asthma, it is important to consider the possibility of OSA. The most obvious clues are daytime sleepiness and snoring, but the definitive diagnosis is made by polysomnography. Management of OSA may include weight loss and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Surgical intervention, such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, may be an option for patients who cannot tolerate CPAP. Management may include specific therapies directed at GERD or upper airway disease as well as modification of the patient's asthma regimen. (J Respir Dis. 2005;26(10):423-435)
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Man With a Potentially Life-Threatening Waterborne InfectionA 79-year-old man presents to theemergency department with a painfullesion on his right forearm. Three daysearlier, he had scratched his arm whileremoving crabs from a trap. Initially,the scratch had bled slightly, and hehad self-treated with an over-the-counterantibiotic ointment and an adhesivebandage.
