Utilization of bedside ultrasound in the diagnosis and management of massive pulmonary embolism: a case report.

The prompt diagnosis and treatment of massive pulmonary embolism is a well-known challenge for physicians. We report a case of a 61-year-old hemodynamically unstable man who presented to the emergency department with complaints of acute dyspnea. After performing a focused history and physical, we used bedside ultrasound to diagnose significant right heart strain, which suggested massive bilateral pulmonary embolisms. This diagnosis was further supported by the visualization of deep venous thrombosis in the left lower extremity. The patient was treated with IV tissue plasminogen activator in the emergency department and survived to discharge in his usual state of health.

Stress Cardiomyopathy Caused by Diving: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Stress cardiomyopathy is characterized by transient myocardial dysfunction that mimics a myocardial infarction in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. The onset is frequently triggered by an acute illness or intense physical or emotional stress. CASE REPORT: We describe the case of a 47-year-old woman who was brought to the emergency department with acute onset shortness of breath while scuba diving. She was found to have acute pulmonary edema radiographically. Her troponins were noted to be positive. Initial echocardiogram showed basal hypokinesis with hyperkinesis of apex. She was treated with noninvasive ventilation and intravenous diuretic therapy and her symptoms significantly improved. She subsequently underwent cardiac catheterization which revealed nonobstructive coronary artery disease. An exercise stress echocardiogram was performed 2 days later that revealed resolution of the wall motion abnormality and no ischemia at high levels of exercise. A diagnosis of reverse stress (Takotsubo) cardiomyopathy was made based on Mayo Clinic Diagnostic criteria. ​WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: This case brings to light the risk of stress cardiomyopathy in divers. The diagnosis should be considered in patients presenting with acute pulmonary edema during diving.

Impaired functional capacity predicts mortality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased mortality, for which impaired functional capacity (IFC) has been established as a surrogate. We sought to assess whether IFC is associated with increased mortality in patients with OSA and whether IFC is predictive of increased mortality after accounting for coronary artery disease. METHODS: Patients with OSA who underwent both polysomnography testing and exercise stress echocardiogram were selected. Records were reviewed retrospectively for demographics, comorbidities, stress echocardiographic parameters, and polysomnography data. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between IFC and overall mortality. We then evaluated the variables associated with IFC in the overall population and in the subgroup with normal Duke treadmill score (DTS). RESULTS: In our cohort, 404 (26%) patients had IFC. The best predictors of IFC were female sex, history of smoking, ejection fraction less than 55, increased body mass index, presence of comorbidities, abnormal exercise echocardiogram, abnormal heart rate recovery, and abnormal DTS. Compared with those without IFC, patients with IFC were 5.1 times more likely to die (odds ratio [OR], 5.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5-10.5; P < 0.0001) by univariate analysis and 2.7 times more likely to die (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-6.1; P = 0.02) by multivariate analysis, when accounting for heart rate recovery, DTS, and sleep apnea severity. Among those without coronary artery disease, patients with IFC were at significantly increased risk of mortality (OR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.35-13.79; P = 0.0088) compared with those with preserved functional capacity. CONCLUSIONS: In our OSA population, IFC was a strong predictor of increased mortality. Among those with normal DTS, IFC identified a cohort at increased risk of mortality.