Case 256: Breast Implant-associated Anaplastic Large-Cell Lymphoma.

History A 57-year-old woman presented with right breast swelling and enlargement and a palpable mass in the right lower inner breast. There was no history of fever, trauma, skin redness, or nipple discharge. The patient had a history of breast augmentation, with retropectoral silicone implants placed 2.5 years ago. Screening mammography (images not shown) 7 months prior revealed bilateral breast implants but no other abnormality. Mammography and US of the right breast were performed at the initial evaluation. Subsequently, fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT and MRI were performed.

A Multicenter Evaluation of Emergency Department Pain Care Across Different Types of Fractures.

Objectives: To identify differences in emergency department (ED) pain-care based on the type of fracture sustained and to examine whether fracture type may influence the more aggressive analgesic use previously demonstrated in older patients. Design: Secondary analysis of retrospective cohort study. Setting: Five EDs (four academic, one community) in the United States. Participants: Patients (1,664) who presented in January, March, July, and October 2009 with a final diagnosis of fracture (774 long bone [LBF], 890 shorter bone [SBF]). Measurements: Primary-predictor was type of fracture (LBF vs. SBF). Pain-care process outcomes included likelihood of analgesic administration, opioid-dose, and time to first analgesic. General estimating equations were used to control for age, gender, race, baseline pain score, triage acuity, comorbidities and ED crowding. Subgroup analyses were conducted to analyze age-based differences in pain care by fracture type. Results: A larger proportion of patients with LBF (30%) were older (>65 years old) compared to SBF (13%). Compared with SBF, patients with LBF were associated with greater likelihood of analgesic-administration (OR = 2.03; 95 CI = 1.58 to 2.62; P < 0.001) and higher opioid-doses (parameter estimate = 0.268; 95 CI = 0.239 to 0.297; P < 0.001). When LBF were examined separately, older-patients had a trend to longer analgesic wait-times (99 [55-163] vs. 76 [35-149] minutes, P = 0.057), but no other differences in process outcomes were found. Conclusion: Long bone fractures were associated with more aggressive pain care than SBF. When fracture types were examined separately, older patients did not appear to receive more aggressive pain care. This difference should be accounted for in further research.

A Case of Secondary Angiosarcoma of the Breast after Breast-conserving Surgery and Radiation: Review of Radiologic and Pathologic Findings.

Angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare and potentially life-threatening disease. It can present as a palpable mass or subtle erythematous lesion, depending on the predisposing clinical factors. Erythematous skin lesions may be confused for a benign process, which may lead to a delay in diagnosis. We present a case of an 80-year-old woman who developed secondary angiosarcoma after undergoing breast-conserving therapy for Stage IA breast cancer. In this article, we review our experience with a case of secondary angiosarcoma of the breast and discuss the presentation, evaluation, and treatment of this disease. This case demonstrates the importance of vigilance regarding erythematous or papular breast lesions in the setting of prior local radiation.

A Multicenter Evaluation of the Impact of Sex on Abdominal and Fracture Pain Care.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies examining sex-based disparities in emergency department (ED) pain care have been limited to a single pain condition, a single study site, and lack rigorous control for confounders. OBJECTIVE: A multicenter evaluation of the effect of sex on abdominal pain (AP) and fracture pain (FP) care outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN: A retrospective cohort review of ED visits at 5 US hospitals in January, April, July, and October 2009. SUBJECTS: A total of 6931 patients with a final ED diagnosis of FP (n=1682) or AP (n=5249) were included. MEASURES: The primary predictor was sex. The primary outcome was time to analgesic administration. Secondary outcomes included time to medication order, and the likelihood of receiving an analgesic and change in pain scores 360 minutes after triage: Multivariable models, clustered by study site, were conducted to adjust for race, age, comorbidities, initial pain score, ED crowding, and triage acuity. RESULTS: On adjusted analyses, compared with men, women with AP waited longer for analgesic administration [AP women: 112 (65-187) minutes, men: 96 (52-167) minutes, P<0.001] and ordering [women: 84 (41-160) minutes, men: 71 (32-137) minutes, P<0.001], whereas women with FP did not (Administration: P=0.360; Order: P=0.133). Compared with men, women with AP were less likely to receive analgesics in the first 90 minutes (OR=0.766; 95% CI, 0.670-0.875; P<0.001), whereas women with FP were not (P=0.357). DISCUSSION: In this multicenter study, we found that women experienced delays in analgesic administration for AP, but not for FP. Future research and interventions to decrease sex disparities in pain care should take type of pain into account.

Is all pain is treated equally? A multicenter evaluation of acute pain care by age.

Pain is highly prevalent in health care settings; however, disparities continue to exist in pain care treatment. Few studies have investigated if differences exist based on patient-related characteristics associated with aging. The objective of this study was to determine if there are differences in acute pain care for older vs younger patients. This was a multicenter, retrospective, cross-sectional observation study of 5 emergency departments across the United States evaluating the 2 most commonly presenting pain conditions for older adults, abdominal and fracture pain. Multivariable adjusted hierarchical modeling was completed. A total of 6,948 visits were reviewed. Older (⩾ 65 years) and oldest (⩾ 85 years) were less likely to receive analgesics compared to younger patients (<65 years), yet older patients had greater reductions in final pain scores. When evaluating pain treatment and final pain scores, differences appeared to be based on type of pain. Older patients with abdominal pain were less likely to receive pain medications, while older patients with fracture were more likely to receive analgesics and opioids compared to younger patients. Differences in pain care for older patients appear to be driven by the type of presenting pain.