The Clinical Features and Risk Factors of Seizure After Doxylamine Intoxication

PURPOSE: Doxylamine is antihistamine drug that is used as a hypnotic. It is also used for suicidal attempts because it can be easily purchased at the pharmacy without a prescription. There were many articles about the complications after doxylamine intoxication such as a rhabdomyolysis, but only a few articles have reported on seizure. We reviewed the cases of doxylamine intoxication with seizure that were treated in the emergency department. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of the patients who were over 15 years old and who were intoxicated by doxylamine at 3 emergency medical centers from January 2006 to June 2010. We reviewed the patients' age, gender, the dose of doxylamine ingested, if gastrointestinal decontamination was done, the time from intoxication to hospital arrival, the seizure history, treatment of seizure, the electroencephalography (EEG) results, the brain computed tomography (CT) results and the blood test results. RESULTS: There were 168 patients who were intoxicated by doxylamine during the study period. Twelve patients had a seizure episode. The differences between the patients who developed seizure and the patients who did not were the dose and the serum levels of sodium and creatinine. The only clinically meaningful difference was the amount of doxylamine. The amount of doxylamine ingested (>29 mg/kg) predicted the development of seizure with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 92% on the ROC curve. One patient among the seizure patients expired in the emergency department. CONCLUSION: In case of doxylamine intoxicated patients, there is close relationship between seizure and ingested amount, so close observation needs to be done for the patients who ingest too much because doxylamine can cause death. Further prospective studies are needed for doxylamine intoxicated patients with a seizure episode.

Cardiac Arrhythmia and Pericardial Effusion During Plasmodium vivax Infection / 감염과화학요법

Plasmodium vivax is a typically seen infectious disease in Korea. The incidence of Plasmodium vivax malaria has been increasing in recent year despite of worldwide attempts at control. Fever, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and splenomegaly are the most common manifestations seen in Korean patient with P. vivax. Cardiac involvement is thought to be a very rare complication of malaria infection. Cardiac complication seems to be limited to acute infection with Plasmodium falcifarum. However we have experienced cardiac complication such as pericardial effusion, and complete AV block by Plasmodium vivax. Physicians should consider cardiac involvement in patient who present hypotension, fever and arrhythmia in malaria endemic area.

Cardiac Arrhythmia and Pericardial Effusion During Plasmodium vivax Infection / 감염과화학요법

Plasmodium vivax is a typically seen infectious disease in Korea. The incidence of Plasmodium vivax malaria has been increasing in recent year despite of worldwide attempts at control. Fever, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and splenomegaly are the most common manifestations seen in Korean patient with P. vivax. Cardiac involvement is thought to be a very rare complication of malaria infection. Cardiac complication seems to be limited to acute infection with Plasmodium falcifarum. However we have experienced cardiac complication such as pericardial effusion, and complete AV block by Plasmodium vivax. Physicians should consider cardiac involvement in patient who present hypotension, fever and arrhythmia in malaria endemic area.

Prehospital Ambulance Run Report: How Much Collected and Contents are Completed?

PURPOSE: The prehospital ambulance run report function's as a legal and billing document, a unit of database for emergency medical service system quality improvement and community resources allocation. We examined how much ambulance run report is collected, contents are checked and whether there is a hospital-wise difference. METHODS: Prehospital run report of patients who visited the emergency department of Severance hospital, YongDong Severance hospital and Ilsan hospital by ambulance during the month of August in 2003 were collected. The items in run report were grouped according to relevancy in 11categories including 6 essential cetegories. The scores of each item was calculated as follows; 1 point if completed, 0 point if not checked and 0.5 point if incomplete. The categorical score, total score and essential score was consisted of corresponding scores. RESULTS: There was 1,339 (13.5%) 119 ambulance transportation in 9,946 total visit and 783 (58.5%) reports were collected with no statistical difference among hospitals. Overall score completed 100 point scale was in total 54.43 in total score, 70.61 in essential score. In essential categories, transportation category score (78.26) was higher than EMS information (73.04), rand & signature category (72.73) and patient condition & care category (45.20) scores. Among hospitals, YongDong Severance hospital showed significantly higher total and essential score than others. In essential categories, YongDong Severance hospital in EMS information, patient condition & care, rank & signature categories and Ilsan hospital in transportation category had higher score than others with significant differences. CONCLUSION: In this study, the collection rate and completion score of prehospital 119 run report were disappointedly low and differed among hospitals. To improve present status, we prepare urgent need redesign of run report, was of uniform data set and proper education of emergency medical personnel.

Diffusion-weighted Imaging in Isolated Vertigo Patients Having Risk Factors for Stroke

BACKGROUND: The management of vertiginous patients is a great challenge to emergency physicians. We evaluated the diagnostic value of a diffusion-weighted image(DWI) in differentiating central vertigo from the peripheral vertigo in patients who presented no neurological symptoms other than risk factors for stroke. METHODS: From March 2000 to February 2001, we retrospectively analyzed the cases of 68 patients who visited the emergency department with symptoms of isolated vertigo and who had risk factors for stroke. DWIs, computed tomograms(CT), and medical records were reviewed, and the final diagnose, the DWIs and the CT readings, the risk factors for stroke, and the time it took waiting for a DWI or CT scan were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 68 patients, 21(30.8%) had central vertigo: 15 vertebrobasilar transient ischemic attacks(VB-TIA), 4 brain stem infarctions, 1 cerebellar infarction, and 1 cerebellopeduncular infarction. The DWI showed a 28.6% sensitivity, a 97.9% specificity, and an 85.7% positive predictive value in diagnosing central vertigo. It also had a 100% sensitivity in detecting infarctions. CONCLUSION: A DWI had a comparable sensitivity to MRI in detecting central vertigo and small, but potentially, lethal infarctions in our patient population. We recommend clinical application of DWI in the emergency department evaluation of isolated vertigo patients with risk factors for stroke.

Which Urine Sampling Method is Suitable for Women Visiting the Emergency Department?

BACKGROUND: Urinalysis is a useful laboratory test in the diagnosis of various diseases. In sampling for the urinalysis, there is much concern about contamination that can lead to misdiagnosis in the mid-stream urine sampling method. We conducted this study to determine, in terms of concordance of results and contamination in culture, whether there was any superiority in mid-stream sampling methods with or without disinfection measures compared to the catheterization method. MATERIALS AND EMTHODS: We used three kinds of urine sampling methods sequentially, mid-stream non-clean catch, mid-stream clean catch, and catheterization, for ambulatory, non-pregnant, non-menstruating female patients who visited NHIC Ilsan Hospital emergency department during a one-week period in September 2001. Each sample was electrophotometrically analyzed for leukocyte esterase, nitrite, and blood by using a reagent strip and was cultured immediately or after overnight refrigeration. RESULTS: Of the 41 patients, 9 had culture-proven urinary tract infections. The concordance rates(kappa) for nitrite, blood, and leukocyte esterase were 0.875, 0.403, and 0.406 between non-clean catch and catheterized samples and 0.875, 0.481, and 0.560 between clean catch and catheterized samples, respectively. The contamination rate of the non-clean catch, the clean catch, and the catheterized samples were statistically different: 51.2%, 29.3% and 0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: We found that cleaning with disinfectant was effective for reducing the contamination rate, even though the best urine sampling method for zero contamination was catheterization. We recommend considering cost, patients' comfort, an acceptable threshold for contamination, and the necessity for a culture before choosing a urine sampling method for women who visit the emergency department.

CLINICAL REVIEW OF DOXYLAMINE SUCCINATE OVERDOSE

BACKGROUND: The number of patients of doxylamine overdose has increased, but there were little clinical reports. The purpose of this study is review the patients of doxylamine overdose for aid clinical decision making of patients disposition. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of patients who ingested doxylamine succinate retrospectively from Jan. 1, 1996 to Dec. 31. 1996. Data that was recorded were followed: age, sex, psychiatric history, amounts of ingestion, time interval from ingestion to arrival to hospital, initial vital signs and symptoms, EKG, chest PA, Lab. findings, treatment, patients disposition, length of hospital stay, complication. RESULTS : 1) Total number of patients was ninety and average dosage of ingestion was 1062mg. 2) Tachycardia was the most frequent anticholinergic symptom(46%). 3) Routine lab. findings was not abnormal except one patient who was diagnosed as Rhabdomyolysis. 4) Gut decontamination was performed in patients who had arrived at hospital in 2-3 hours, and who had ingested large dose of drug. 5) Five patients were admitted to Psychiatric dept. and one patient was admitted to emergency dept. for treatment of rhabdomyolysis. 6) The mean duration of hospital stay was 6.5 hours. CONCLUSION: The patients who ingested overdose of doxylamine was managed safely in emergency department, but we should warn against the possibility of rhabdomyolysis.

The transfer system of trauma patient to emergency center

No abstract available.

Anti-tetanus antibody titers in Korean

No abstract available.