ABSTRACT
Patients who present to the Emergency Department with altered mental status may suffer from serious, time-sensitive conditions where appropriate initial management improves prognosis. The differential diagnoses of altered mental status is broad and the assessment is complicated by the patient's inability to provide a detailed history. This article presents a systematic approach to patients with altered mental status in the Emergency Department. Data from a structured physical examination and bedside tests are interpreted in light of the medical background and available history. A checklist is recommended to consider key time-sensitive conditions. The article covers the emergency treatment of selected time-sensitive conditions and provides guidance for when head CT-scan is warranted.
Subject(s)
Emergency Service, Hospital , Mental Disorders , Humans , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Mental Disorders/therapy , Patients , Checklist , Diagnosis, DifferentialABSTRACT
The management of tachycardias depends on their underlying pathophysiology. The key to uncovering this pathophysiology is in finding the temporal relationship between atrial and ventricular activation. The P-waves resulting from atrial activation can however be hard to detect on a traditional EKG in the setting of a tachycardia. Esophageal-EKG can help reveal the P-waves. The patient swallows an electrode, whose position in the esophagus is then adjusted to maximize the signal coming from the left atrium, clearly revealing atrial activity. This article describes the indications and contraindications for esophageal-EKG, as well as how it is performed and interpreted. Esophageal-EKG is of particular diagnostic value in the setting of a regular tachycardia with wide QRS complexes and no obvious signs of atrio-ventricular dissociation. In this setting, the esophageal-EKG can distinguish between ventricular tachycardia and a supraventricular tachycardia with aberrant conduction.
Subject(s)
Tachycardia, Supraventricular , Tachycardia, Ventricular , Humans , Electrocardiography , Tachycardia, Supraventricular/diagnosis , Esophagus , Diagnosis, Differential , Emergency Service, HospitalABSTRACT
Importance: Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) has been reported after vaccination with the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines ChAdOx1 nCov-19 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) and Ad26.COV2.S (Janssen/Johnson & Johnson). Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with and without TTS. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used data from an international registry of consecutive patients with CVST within 28 days of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination included between March 29 and June 18, 2021, from 81 hospitals in 19 countries. For reference, data from patients with CVST between 2015 and 2018 were derived from an existing international registry. Clinical characteristics and mortality rate were described for adults with (1) CVST in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, (2) CVST after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination not fulling criteria for TTS, and (3) CVST unrelated to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Exposures: Patients were classified as having TTS if they had new-onset thrombocytopenia without recent exposure to heparin, in accordance with the Brighton Collaboration interim criteria. Main Outcomes and Measures: Clinical characteristics and mortality rate. Results: Of 116 patients with postvaccination CVST, 78 (67.2%) had TTS, of whom 76 had been vaccinated with ChAdOx1 nCov-19; 38 (32.8%) had no indication of TTS. The control group included 207 patients with CVST before the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 63 of 78 (81%), 30 of 38 (79%), and 145 of 207 (70.0%) patients, respectively, were female, and the mean (SD) age was 45 (14), 55 (20), and 42 (16) years, respectively. Concomitant thromboembolism occurred in 25 of 70 patients (36%) in the TTS group, 2 of 35 (6%) in the no TTS group, and 10 of 206 (4.9%) in the control group, and in-hospital mortality rates were 47% (36 of 76; 95% CI, 37-58), 5% (2 of 37; 95% CI, 1-18), and 3.9% (8 of 207; 95% CI, 2.0-7.4), respectively. The mortality rate was 61% (14 of 23) among patients in the TTS group diagnosed before the condition garnered attention in the scientific community and 42% (22 of 53) among patients diagnosed later. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of patients with CVST, a distinct clinical profile and high mortality rate was observed in patients meeting criteria for TTS after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
