Increasing Efficiency With Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Guided Arthrocentesis: A Case Report and Procedure Demonstration.

Patients with chief complaints of musculoskeletal pain comprise a significant portion of emergency department (ED) visits. Identifying and utilizing methods to expedite diagnosis in these cases may help reduce ED crowding, improve outcomes, and increase patient satisfaction. We present a case in which a 52-year-old man presented to the ED with complaints of unilateral right knee pain, swelling, and stiffness. An initial plain film X-ray showed a large suprapatellar effusion over the patient's arthritic right knee. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was used by an ED physician to facilitate a suprapatellar arthrocentesis. The patient tolerated the procedure well, remarking that he had no pain during or after its completion. POCUS can increase the accuracy, efficacy, and speed of procedures for which physicians have traditionally used landmarks or formal radiology consultations. While POCUS can prove helpful, barriers to its widespread implementation still remain. However, these barriers can be addressed with relative ease.

A Case of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis with Mucosal Involvement in the Northern United States.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne parasitic infection endemic to many sub-tropical regions worldwide. In the Americas, Leishmania braziliensis is responsible for most reported CL cases. Variable symptom presentation and susceptibility to secondary infection make diagnosing CL a difficult proposition for physicians who may not encounter cases frequently. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 50-year-old man with multiple progressive lesions, diagnosed initially as a bacterial infection, who presented to a North American emergency department after several unsuccessful trials of antibiotic therapy. Eventually, polymerase chain reaction testing of a wound biopsy sample confirmed the presence of L. braziliensis. After a complicated course, the patient's infection resolved after tailored antiparasitic therapy. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: This case highlights the need to include travel history in the evaluation of atypical dermatologic infections.

Atraumatic splenic rupture secondary to granulocyte-colony stimulating factor medication exposure.

Hematopoietic hormones such as granulocyte-colony stimulating factors are commonly used prevent neutropenia in patients undergoing chemotherapy and to prepare patients for bone marrow donations. In rare cases, splenic injury can result from exposure to this medication. We present the case of a 30-year-old man who presented to the emergency department the day after a bone marrow donation procedure complaining of severe, acute onset left upper quadrant abdominal pain, radiating to the shoulder. Neither the patient nor his family reported any abdominal trauma prior to or following the marrow donation procedure. An initial bedside ultrasound examination was positive for peritoneal fluid and distortion of the normal splenic architecture, raising suspicion for possible intraabdominal or splenic injury. An emergent confirmatory CT with contrast of the abdomen confirmed the initial ultrasound examination suspicion of an atraumatic splenic rupture and with evidence of venous bleeding but without active arterial extravasation. An emergent trauma surgery consultation was placed, and he underwent embolization with an uneventful recovery. This case report highlights the need for a high index of suspicion for atraumatic splenic rupture in patients exposed to these types of granulocyte-colony stimulating factors.

Spontaneous globe rupture in a patient with extensive ocular surgical history.

Globe rupture is visually dramatic in appearance for emergency clinicians and is a sight-threatening injury for the patient. It requires prompt ophthalmologic surgical intervention for optimal outcomes. Cases are typically the result of ocular trauma; however, this case highlights a rare instance of spontaneous globe rupture in a patient with an extensive ocular surgical history.

Rapid Education Event: A Streamlined Approach to Ultrasound Guided Nerve Block Procedural Training.

In the Emergency Medicine Residency setting, procedural ultrasound education often takes place at the bedside when the procedure becomes clinically necessary. As ultrasound technology and its applications continue to gain more importance, there is a greater need for effective and standardized educational models for teaching ultrasound-guided procedures. This pilot program aimed to demonstrate that residents and attending physicians can achieve procedural competence in fascia iliaca nerve block following a rapid and compact procedural education event. Our curriculum covered anatomy identification, procedural knowledge, and technical skills of probe manipulation. After completing our new curriculum, more than 90% of participants demonstrated adequate learning through the pre- and post-assessments and direct observation of procedural performance on a gel phantom model.

A point-of-care ultrasound approach to fascia iliaca nerve block in a patient with a hip fracture.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hip and femoral neck fractures are common fractures seen in older adults. Lower extremity nerve blocks are a tool available for pain control in these patients. One type of block that can be used in this type of fracture is the fascia iliaca compartment block. Clinicians sometimes do not utilize these blocks despite having been shown to produce better pain relief than a standard regimen of intravenous medications. We present a case of a 76-year-old female patient who had inadequate pain relief from intravenous medications. We illustrate the utilization of a standardized approach to a fascia iliaca compartment block using point-of-care ultrasound in the setting of a femoral neck fracture.

Point of care ultrasound facilitated diagnosis of right ventricular mass as the etiology of syncope; A case report of intravenous leiomyomatosis.

Syncope is a common emergency department (ED) chief complaint. Rarely, syncope can be the result of right ventricular outflow obstruction from an intracardiac tumor, such as an intracardiac extension of intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL). Typically, this type of tumor is confined to the pelvic veins, but in very rare cases, it can extend through the inferior vena cava into the right atrium. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can be a crucial tool in the ED for identifying intracardiac tumors presenting as syncope and expediting clinical management. We present the case of a 39-year-old female with no prior medical history that presented to the ED having experienced dyspnea on exertion and two syncopal episodes prior to ED admission. POCUS use in the ED elucidated the presence of a right atrial mass and further imaging showed a mass on the patient's uterus. After surgical removal of a portion of the atrial mass, a subsequent biopsy revealed it had leiomyoma-like features; as such, the patient was diagnosed with IVL. This case illustrates the importance of using POCUS in the ED to help determine the etiology of syncope. Although intracardiac extensions of IVL are rare, it is important for emergency physicians to keep this diagnosis in the differential in patients with symptoms or risk factors suggestive of IVL with intracardiac extension.