The Heart Remembers: A Case of Cardiac Memory.

An 80-year-old male with a history of atrial fibrillation and a single-chamber ventricular pacemaker presented to the hospital for an elective colonoscopy. He experienced a transient episode of unresponsiveness with seizure-like activity before the procedure. This prompted him to get an EKG showing deep T-wave inversions (TWIs) in the precordial leads on a background of paced beats. Such findings were concerning for an acute and potentially life-threatening process such as myocardial infarction (MI) or intracranial insult. After ruling out any severe conditions, the EKG findings were attributed to cardiac memory, an underdiagnosed cause of deep TWIs in patients with a pacemaker.

Efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulant in morbidly obese patients with atrial fibrillation: systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on three outcomes. We assessed the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) compared to vitamin K antagonists (VKA) in morbidly obese patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We compared the efficacy and safety of DOAC in obese patients and non-obese patients with AF. Finally, we updated the current knowledge of outcomes of AF patients with obesity compared with normal-weight patients regardless of anticoagulation type. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using PubMed and Embase, we searched for literature published from inception to August 2020 for studies conducted in morbidly obese patients with AF who used DOACs and/or VKA for stroke or systemic embolism (stroke/SE) prevention that report efficacy and/or safety data. GRADE assessment was performed to determine the quality of the meta-analysis results. Direct oral anticoagulant was not statistically different from VKA in reducing stroke/SE with relative risk (RR) of 0.85 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.56-1.29; very low certainty evidence]. Major bleeding risk was lower in the DOAC groups with RR of 0.62 (95% CI: 0.48-0.80; low certainty evidence). Obese patients with AF who used DOACs had lower risk of stroke/SE and similar major bleeding risk compared to non-obese patients with RR of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.70-0.84; low certainty evidence) and 1.02 (95% CI: 0.94-1.09; low certainty evidence), respectively. Obese patients with AF who used any type of anticoagulant had lower risk of stroke/SE compared to normal-weight patients with RR of 0.62 (95% CI: 0.57-0.69; low certainty evidence). CONCLUSION: The use of DOACs in morbidly obese patients may be reasonable if needed, and more dedicated studies are needed to make a more robust recommendation.

Crusted Scabies Induced Hypereosinophilic Syndrome.

Crusted scabies causes extensive hyperkeratotic skin lesions, crusting, and scaling and is common in elderly and institutionalized patients. We present a case of crusted scabies in a patient with encephalopathy and diffuse exfoliative erythroderma. After extensive workup, the patient's condition was attributed to hypereosinophilic syndrome due to crusted scabies. Skin condition, mental status, and eosinophilia improved with high-dose steroids in conjunction with topical permethrin and oral ivermectin.

An Unusual Presentation of Severe Sepsis Due to Clostridium difficile Enteritis.

We report an atypical case of Clostridium difficile (C.difficile) infection in a 35-year male who presented to the hospital because of diffuse abdominal pain associated with nausea and vomiting. Patient denied diarrhea or hematochezia. On physical examination, he was afebrile, but tachycardic and hypotensive. Abdominal examination revealed mild diffuse tenderness without signs of peritonitis. Lab work up was significant for leucocytosis and elevated serum lactate. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis with intravenous (IV) contrast was done with findings suggestive of enteritis. Initial work up did not reveal any source of infection, so he was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics for severe sepsis of unknown origin. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were continued for two days without significant improvement in signs and symptoms; stool studies were obtained which showed positive C.difficile on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after which oral vancomycin was started and IV antibiotics were stopped. The patient's signs and symptoms improved after a couple of days of oral vancomycin and he was discharged home to complete a 14-day course of oral vancomycin.

Autoimmune necrotizing myopathy after statin discontinuation.

We report a case of autoimmune necrotizing myopathy related to statin use in a 70-year-old woman who came to the hospital because of progressive lower extremity weakness. Laboratory, electromyography and muscle biopsy results were consistent with autoimmune necrotising myopathy. The patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin with improvement in muscle strength.

Does Right Ventricular Dysfunction Predict Mortality in Hemodynamically Stable Patients With Acute Pulmonary Embolism?

BACKGROUND: Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is directly responsible for 100,000 deaths annually. Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) on admission is considered a poor prognostic factor in these patients, though existing evidence of its significance in predicting mortality in hemodynamically stable patients is still unclear. We attempted to clarify this association by doing a retrospective review. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records of hemodynamically stable patients older than 18 years of age with APE who were admitted to a tertiary care hospital in rural Upstate New York from July 2014 to July 2016. One hundred thirty-four patients were reviewed in two groups: patients who presented with computed tomography (CT) or echocardiographic evidence of RVD, and those without RVD. To identify differences in mortality between the two groups, the Chi-square/Fisher's exact test and t-tests were used. All variables with P < 0.2 in the initial analysis were included in a stepwise multivariable logistic regression model to predict RVD. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found in 30-day mortality between the groups (7.8% in RVD and 5.3% in no RVD, P = 0.563). The overall prevalence of RVD was found to be 57% (77/134). Troponin elevation (53.2% in RVD group vs. 19.3 in the no RVD group with P < 0.01) and central location of thrombus (53.1% vs. 32.1% with P = 0.016) were more prevalent in RVD group. A marginally significant difference was found in length of hospital stay among those with RVD versus no RVD (7.13 days vs. 5.46 days; P = 0.061). The multivariable analysis shows that the odds of RVD were greater for patients with elevated troponin levels (odds ratio = 7.8). CONCLUSION: There was no difference in 30-day mortality in hemodynamically stable patients with APE having RVD compared to patients with no RVD. On the basis of this study, we do not suggest the routine use of systemic fibrinolysis in hemodynamically stable patients with radiographic evidence of RVD alone.

Does Syncope Predict Mortality in Patients With Acute Pulmonary Embolism? A Retrospective Review.

BACKGROUND: Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is a potentially fatal disease with high mortality. Prior studies have shown an increased frequency of central localization of the clot, right ventricular dysfunction and elevated troponin in patients who present with syncope and APE. Existing evidence regarding mortality and length of hospital stay in these patients is unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records of patients who were admitted in a tertiary care hospital in rural Upstate New York and diagnosed with APE from July 2014 to July 2016. Two hundred nineteen patients were reviewed in two groups: patients who presented with syncope and those without syncope. RESULTS: The prevalence of syncope was found to be 6.8% (15/219). Hypotension on admission was more common among patients with syncope compared to no syncope (26.7% and 7.4%, respectively, P = 0.03). A clinically significant difference was found in 30-day mortality among those with syncope versus no syncope (21.3% vs. 7.4%, P = 0.096). No significant difference was found in length of stay (mean 6.7 days in patients with syncope vs. 6.4 without syncope, P = 0.783), central localization (26.7% with syncope vs. 43.2% without syncope, P = 0.21) or troponin elevation (46.2% in patients with syncope vs. 27.9% without syncope, P = 0.205). On multivariable analysis, hypotension was significantly higher among those with syncope (odds ratio: 5.23, P = 0.0148). CONCLUSION: This study suggests 30-day mortality may be higher among patients with syncope. It is important to risk stratify patients on admission in order to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with lethal disease.

Salicylate-induced pulmonary edema--a near-miss diagnosis.

A 43-year-old white woman presented to the emergency department with confusion, agitation, and progressive dyspnea. Chest x-ray revealed pulmonary edema. Initial diagnostic considerations were pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, sepsis, central nervous system infection, substance toxicity, and heart failure. Her salicylate level was 92.6 mg/dL, and an arterial blood gas revealed a respiratory alkalosis and nonanion gap metabolic acidosis, consistent with salicylate poisoning. Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema is an atypical presentation of salicylate toxicity, and this case highlights the importance of an early toxicology screen to make a time-critical diagnosis and provide specific treatment.

Pneumocystis pneumonia during primary HIV infection: a case report and review of the literature.

More than 90% of cases of pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in adults occur in patients with chronic HIV infection with CD4 counts lower than 200 cells/ml. Even though primary HIV infection can cause transient profound CD4 lymphocytopenia, PCP is rarely reported during primary HIV infection. We report a case of a 26-year-old man who was diagnosed with PCP in the setting of primary HIV infection. He was successfully treated with a 21-day course of oral co-trimoxazole.