Imaging of pulmonary infections encountered in the emergency department in post-COVID 19 era- common, rare and exotic. Bacterial and viral.

Pulmonary infections contribute substantially to emergency department (ED) visits, posing a considerable health burden. Lower respiratory tract infections are prevalent, particularly among the elderly, constituting a significant percentage of infectious disease-related ED visits. Timely recognition and treatment are crucial to mitigate morbidity and mortality. Imaging studies, primarily chest radiographs and less frequently CT chests, play a pivotal role in diagnosis. This article aims to elucidate the imaging patterns of both common and rare pulmonary infections (bacterial and viral) in the post COVID-19 era, emphasizing the importance of recognizing distinct radiological manifestations. The integration of clinical and microbiological evidence aids in achieving accurate diagnoses, and guiding optimal therapeutic interventions. Despite potential overlapping manifestations, a nuanced understanding of radiological patterns, coupled with comprehensive clinical and microbiological information, enhances diagnostic precision in majority cases.

Adverse Outcomes due to Aggressive Fluid Resuscitation in Children: A Prospective Observational Study.

Fluid management has a major impact on the duration, severity, and outcome of critically ill children. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between cumulative fluid overload (CFO) with mortality and morbidity in critically ill children. This was a prospective observational study wherein children (1 month-16 years) who were critically ill (with shock requiring inotropes and/or mechanically ventilated) were enrolled. CFO was defined as the sum of daily fluid balances. Daily fluid balance was calculated as a difference between fluid intake (oral and intravenous) and output (urine output, discharge from nasogastric tube) in 24 hours. Percentage of fluid overload (FO) (PFO) was calculated as the ratio of CFO with weight at admission in kilogram. The CFO and PFO at 24, 48, 72 hours and at 7 days or end of PICU stay were calculated. A total of 291 children (244 survivors and 47 non-survivors; 47% males) were included in the final analysis. A higher mortality was observed in children with higher PFO (>20% FO: 45.8% mortality vs. 14.5% < 10% FO, p < 0.01) and CFO (10.97 ± 6.4 mL/kg in survivors vs. 13.95 ± 9.6 mL/kg in non-survivors; p = 0.022) at 72 hours. A 1% increase in fluid overload was associated with 6% and 4% increase in mortality at 72 hours and 7 days, respectively. Similarly, the impact of every 1% increase in fluid overload on both ventilation (yes/no) and acute kidney injury (AKI; yes/no) were found to be significant for both parameters at 72 hours, but only AKI had significant correlation on seventh day. In the multivariate stepwise Cox's proportional hazard model for PICU stay and hospital stay, 3% ( p < 0.05) and 2% ( p > 0.05) increase were found for every 1% increase in fluid overload, respectively. Oxygenation index is also associated with fluid overload with the adjusted model estimated 0.27 units (95% confidence interval: 0.18-0.36) increase per 1% increase in fluid overload. FO was associated with increased mortality and morbidity in critically ill children.

Pearson syndrome: a rare inborn error of metabolism with bone marrow morphology providing a clue to diagnosis.

Pearson syndrome is a rare disorder of mitochondrial metabolism presenting in infancy with transfusion dependent refractory anaemia and multisystem involvement. We report a case of a 3-month-old infant presenting with anaemia requiring multiple transfusions. The presence of lactic acidosis, hyperglycaemia and cytoplasmic vacuoles in erythroid precursors on bone marrow aspiration study helped to suspect the diagnosis. However, the baby succumbed to metabolic crisis before he could be offered definitive therapy. This case report aims to emphasise the typical bone marrow aspiration finding which serves as a useful marker for establishing the diagnosis of this rare disorder, which is mostly fatal without bone marrow transplantation.

Imaging of Spine Fractures With Emphasis on the Craniocervical Junction.

Spinal cord injury often times is a catastrophic result of trauma. Delay in diagnosis may result in increased morbidity and mortality. Cross-sectional imaging is now increasingly used as a first-line diagnostic modality in the setting of trauma for recognition of spine fractures and ligamentous injuries that might be missed on routine radiographs. The learning objectives of this article are to review the anatomy of the spine and understand the mechanisms of injury in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbosacral column by applying easy and reproducible classification systems to guide clinical management.