While the first is a disease of bronchioles and lower airway with resulting wheezing and crakles, the second one is inflammation of the larynx, causing stridor and braking cough. Both are caused mainly by a viral infection and both may present at the ED with rhinorrea, coughing, fever and signs of increased work of breathing….
Tag: FOAMCC
Myelitis vs. Guillain Barré vs. MS
Let’s take a very quick review of these demyelinating diseases. Patient comes to the ED because of limb weakness and sensory alterations. If there’s a clearly defined level with no cranial nerve and no brainstem symptoms, we may be in front of transverse myelitis. If there is in fact oculomotor weakness with dyplopia or weakness…
Acute pericarditis patient presentation
A very small illustrated review about what a young patient with pericardial disease may look like: Check our first blog post about the criteria for pericardial disease here: https://sketchbookmd.com/2019/06/04/pericardial-disease-2015-esc-guidelines/
Established cardiovascular disease and high and very high risk of cardiovascular events
There is a population who is at the highest risk of having major cardiovascular events, i.e. a non fatal stroke or a fatal MI. Usually they already have had a prior cardiovascular event. Atherosclerosis has damaged the patient’s vessels. This means there is evidence of prior heart damage or vascular damage. Remember that evidence of…
Acute calculous cholecystitis / Colecistitis aguda calculosa.
Acute cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) results from injury from a gallstone, like impactation or cystic duct obstruction. Sometimes inflammation occurs without gallstone disease due to infection of bile (acalculous cholecystitis). The main difference between a patient who complains from abdominal pain and suffers from uncomplicated gallstone disease and acute cholecystitis is the evidence of…
Cardiac tamponade / Taponamiento cardiaco.
A major complication of trauma and pericarditis, and a feared cause of hypotension and obstructive shock, cardiac tamponade occurs when there’s fluid in the pericardial space. This may be from effusion (pericarditis, serositis) or blood, such as in thoracic trauma. As the heart is “imprisoned” within its own pericardium, diastole is restricted, and ultimately systole…
Pericardial disease: 2015 ESC guidelines / Pericarditis, diagnóstico según la ESC, 2015.
The following illustration summarizes both clinical presentation and diagnostic procedure and criteria of pericardial disease, as well as one of the worst complications: constriction and arrest (due to obstructive shock). Remember the following: you will start suspecting it after seeing, listening and talking to your patient. You will use ECG, bio-markers and imaging to confirm…
