The Value of U/S to Determine Priority for Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Emergency Room.

In countries endemic for liver and GIT diseases, frequent emergency department (ED) patients contribute to a disproportionate number of visits consuming substantial amount of medical resources. One of the most frequent ED visits is patients who present with hypovolemic shock, abdominal pain, or confusion with or without signs of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). The use of conventional two-dimensional ultrasound (2D-U/S) may provide immediate and useful information on the presence of esophageal varices, gastrointestinal tumors, and other GIT abnormalities.The current study investigated the feasibility of using (2D-U/S) to predict the source of UGIB in ED and to determine patients' priority for UGE.Between February 2003 and March 2013, we retrospectively reviewed the profiles of 38,551 Egyptian patients, aged 2 to 75 years old, who presented with a history of GI/liver diseases and no alcohol consumption. We assessed the value of 2D-U/S technology in predicting the source of UGIB.Of 38,551 patients presenting to ED, 900 patients (2.3%), 534 male (59.3%) and 366 female (40.7%) developed UGIB. Analyzing results obtained from U/S examinations by data mining for emergent UGE were patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), splenomegaly, and ascites (42.6% incidence of UGIB), followed by LC and splenomegaly (14.6%), LC only (9.4%), and was only 0.5% who had no morbidity finding by 2D-U/S.Ultrasonographic instrumentation increases the feasibility of predictive emergency medicine. The area has recently not only gained a fresh impulse, but also a new set of complex problems that needs to be addressed in the emergency medicine setting according to each priority.

Clinical utility of dabigatran in United Arab Emirates. A pharmacovigilance study.

OBJECTIVES: To provide early data regarding clinical utility of dabigatran in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE). METHODS: This was an ethics approved retrospective cross sectional study. We retrieved a total of 76 patients who were using dabigatran from September to December 2014 in the Cardiology Clinic at Al-Ain Hospital, Al-Ain, UAE. The primary analysis was designed to test the frequency of bleeding events (rate) with dabigatran 75, 110, and 150 mg. RESULTS: The mean age ± standard deviation of cohort was 67.9 ± 1.5 years (range; 29-98 years), composed of males (52.6%) with mean age of 66.3 ± 1.7 years, and females (47.4%) with mean age of 69.6 ± 1.1 years. The highest age group was those between 61-80 years (60.5%). Most comprised the age strata of ≤75 years (73.7%). The main indication for dabigatran use was atrial fibrillation. The rate of bleeding with dabigatran was 18/76 (23.7%), and melena was the leading cause of bleeding 8/76 (10.7%). The hospitalization rate was 67.1%, dabigatran withdrawal rate was 0.01%, and mortality rate was 6.5%. The cohort had exhibited incidences of minor bleeding with one fatal major bleeding, high co-morbidities, admission, and readmission, which was not directly linked to dabigatran. We did not identify any relation of death due to dabigatran. CONCLUSION: Dabigatran is a suitable alternative to warfarin obviating the need for repetitive international normalized ratio monitoring, however, it may need plasma drug monitoring.

Colon in the chest: an incidental dextrocardia: a case report study.

Diaphragmatic injury is an uncommon traumatic injury (<1%). Although most diaphragmatic injuries can be obvious (eg, herniation of abdominal contents on chest radiograph), some injuries may be subtle and imaging studies can be nondiagnostic in many situations. Patients with diaphragmatic hernia either traumatic or nontraumatic may initially have no symptoms or signs to suggest an injury to the diaphragm.Here, we report a case of a 75-year-old woman diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome -associated dominant constipation, presented with shortness of breath, cough, expectoration, tachycardia, and chest pain. Dextrocardia was an incidental finding, diagnosed by electrocardiography, chest radiograph, and CT chest. Parts of the colon, small intestine, and stomach were within the thorax in the left side due to left diaphragmatic hernia of a nontraumatic cause. Acquired incidental dextrocardia was the main problem due to displacement of the heart to contralateral side by the GI (gastrointestinal) viscera (left diaphragmatic hernia).The patient was prepared for the laparoscopic surgical repair, using a polyethylene mesh 20 cm to close the defect, and the patient recovered with accepted general condition. However, 5 days postoperative, the patient passed away suddenly due to unexplained cardiac arrest.Intrathoracic herniation of abdominal viscera should be considered in patients presented with sudden chest pain concomitant with a history of increased intra-abdominal pressure.