Capnocytophaga canimorsus: An Emerging Pathogen in Immunocompetent Patients-Experience from an Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a bacterium of the normal oral flora of dogs and cats. Human infection is caused by animal bite but is rarely observed, mainly in immunocompromised patients. We present 2 cases of C. canimorsus infection that occurred in immunocompetent patients and caused multiorgan failure and in both cases severe neurologic involvement. CASE REPORT: In the first case, we present a 69-year-old immunocompetent woman with septic shock derived from skin and soft tissue infection after a dog's bite. She developed ischemic necrosis evolving to gangrene of both forefeet and hands, infective aortic endocarditis, and neurologic involvement caused by large hemispheric hypodense lesions compatible with ischemic septical lesions. In the second case, we present a 65-year-old immunocompetent man with meningitis after a dog's bite. Despite antibiotic therapy, he developed neurologic clinical deterioration, with right sensitive hemisyndrome associated with lack of strength and motor skills of the right hand. Radiologic findings were consistent with the diagnosis of cerebritis. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Clinicians should always be aware of this pathogen, both in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients, and consider prophylactic antibiotics after exposure.

Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of the triage emergency department nursing protocol for the management of pain.

INTRODUCTION: Pain is a common symptom presented in the emergency department (ED) although it is often underestimated, poorly evaluated and treated. The application of a protocol for timely pain management ensured by the nurse can avoid the delays in the analgesic treatment and improve the patient's quality of waiting. AIMS: To check the effectiveness and efficiency of the protocol aimed at early pain management in triage, active in our ED. In particular, the response to analgesic treatment was evaluated 60 minutes after the administration and at discharge. Patient satisfaction was also evaluated using two anonymous questionnaires both at discharge and 48 hours later via telephone. METHODS: A single-center, observational study was conducted on a prospective cohort of patients (aged ≥4 years) with a pain symptom at admission in ED with no surgical picture. RESULTS: In the observation period (June 2015-May 2016), 382 patients were enrolled, and of these, 312 (84.8%) accepted pain therapy during triage stage in the ED. In 97.4% of the cases, orosoluble paracetamol 1000 mg was administered. In the re-evaluation done 60 minutes later, 65.9% of the patients showed a reduction of at least 2 points on Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), equal to a mean reduction of 2.24 points (95% CI: 2.03-2.45). The mean time of analgesia intake was equal to 5.9 minutes (95% CI: 3.8-8.1). In the re-evaluation done at discharge, 33.2% of the patients showed a reduction of NRS score >50%, leading to a mean reduction of 39% (95% CI: 35.3%-41.9%). The level of patient satisfaction was high with a mean value >9 points (maximum satisfaction =10). CONCLUSION: This protocol shows that optimal pain management was achieved by patients rapidly receiving an effective painkiller therapy at triage, leading to substantial patient satisfaction. In moderate pain, orosoluble paracetamol 1000 mg provided a reduction of NRS score by 2 points in 67.6% of the patients, confirming to be the analgesic of choice in ED.

Carcinoid Heart Disease: Starting From Heart Failure.

Carcinoid syndrome is the constellation of symptoms mediated by humoral factors produced by some carcinoid tumors. It consists primarily of vasomotor symptoms, gastrointestinal hypermotility, hypotension, and bronchospasm, due to the production and release of vasoactive substances. Carcinoid heart disease occurs in more than 50% of patients with carcinoid syndrome; in some cases, it represents the initial manifestation of the disease. We report the case of a 75-year-old woman with a metastatic neuroendocrine tumor admitted to the emergency room for fatigue and heart failure. Transthoracic echocardiography showed severe tricuspid and pulmonic regurgitation suggesting carcinoid heart disease. A hypervascular retroperitoneal mass was found on abdominal computed tomography, which seemed to arise from the mesenteric artery, anteriorly to the abdominal aorta. Unfortunately, our patient was neither a candidate for mass resection nor for cardiac surgery due to advanced metastatic disease and poor clinical condition. Additionally, we performed a systematic literature review of carcinoid heart disease focusing on typical echocardiographic findings.

Giant left atrium in undersized mitral ring annuloplasty.

Enlargement of left atrium occurs in patients with longstanding mitral valve disease due to chronic pressure and volume overload and occasionally left atrium reaches a massive enlargement, condition known as giant left atrium. It is most commonly associated with rheumatic mitral valve disease, both stenosis and regurgitation. This unique case deals with a 70-year-old woman who developed a giant left atrium due to a severe mitral regurgitation from complete prolapse of both mitral leaflets, as a consequence of previous undersized mitral ring annuloplasty.

In-hospital and long-term mortality in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: a community hospital experience.

BACKGROUND: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by reversible left ventricular dysfunction, frequently precipitated by a stressful event. Despite the favorable course and good long-term prognosis, a variety of complications may occur in the acute phase of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in-hospital and long-term outcomes of a cohort of TTC patients. METHODS: Fifty-five patients (mean age 68.1±12 years) were prospectively followed for a mean of 69.6±32.2 months (64,635 days). In-hospital (death, heart failure, arrhythmias) and long-term events (death and recurrences) were recorded. RESULTS: Patients were predominantly women (87.3%) who experienced a recent stressful event (emotional or physical) and were admitted to hospital for chest pain. Eleven patients (20%) had a diagnosis of depressive disorder, and arterial hypertension was the most frequent cardiovascular risk factor. The ECG revealed ST-segment elevation in 43.6% of patients. At angiography, seven cases (12.7%) had at least one significant (≥50%) coronary artery stenosis and four patients (7.3%) had myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending artery. During hospitalization, three patients died (one from cardiac causes) and cardiovascular complications occurred in 12 patients. During follow-up, five patients died (none from cardiac causes), six patients had recurrences within the first year. Two patients had two recurrences: one after 114 days, triggered by an asthma attack as the first event, and the other after 1,850 days. CONCLUSIONS: In TTC patients, in-hospital and long-term mortality is primarily due to non-cardiovascular causes. Recurrences are not infrequent and coronary artery disease is not an uncommon finding.

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy: insights from a community hospital.

AIMS: To describe the actual incidence, prevalence among acute coronary syndrome patients and rate of recurrences of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy in an emergency department of a community hospital. METHODS: We report the in-hospital and long-term clinical course (7.5 years follow-up) of 25 consecutive tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy patients (mean age 66.8 ±â€Š11.76 years; F/M: 21/4) admitted to a community hospital (referring population: 97,000 inhabitants). RESULTS: The incidence rate of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy was 0.03 cases per 1000 person-years; the prevalence was 3.0% among those with acute coronary syndrome and 7.6% among ST elevation myocardial infarction patients. Clinical presentations included mainly chest pain (n = 16, 64%) and dyspnea (n = 3, 12%). Precipitating conditions were emotional (n = 10, 40%), physical stress (n = 5, 20%) or both (n = 1, 4%); no stressors were recorded in nine patients (36%). Two patients died during hospitalization (8%). At the end of follow-up (mean time: 960.24 ± 724.34 days), all patients (n = 23) were alive and no major cardiovascular events were observed. Five patients had recurrences (22%). The mean time of recurrence was 105.4 ± 82.92 days and the clinical presentation was less severe compared with the first event: ECG had less ST involvement, ejection fraction was higher and cardiac injury biomarkers were lower. CONCLUSIONS: In our population incidence and prevalence of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy among acute coronary syndrome patients, as well as the recurrence rate of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, were higher than previously reported, suggesting that probably this syndrome often passes undiagnosed.

Tako-tsubo syndrome and hypovolemia.

Tako-tsubo syndrome (TTS) is a rare disorder characterized by reversible apical left ventricular ballooning usually triggered by an emotional and/or physical stress and often mimicking an acute myocardial infarction. We describe a case of 78 year old woman with TTS associated with hypovolemia and hyponatraemia. The hypovolemic state could have activated the sympathetic system and in turn catecolamine overload with consequent myocardial stunning.

Prevalence, clinical characteristics, resource utilization and outcome of patients with acute chest pain in the emergency department. A multicenter, prospective, observational study in north-eastern Italy.

BACKGROUND: The evaluation and triage of patients with suspected myocardial ischemia in the emergency department is challenging and costly. In Italy there are no prospective data neither about the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and outcome of patients with chest pain in the emergency room, nor about the costs of their triage. Therefore, this study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and costs of the actual emergency department triage modalities of patients with acute chest pain. METHODS: We analyzed the clinical data from a multicenter, prospective study of all patients with chest pain who presented to the emergency department of three hospitals in North-Eastern Italy from April to October 1999. RESULTS: Of 12,375 new medical admissions at the three emergency departments during the study period, 495 (prevalence 4%, mean age 62 +/- 16 years, 50% females) were for chest pain. Thirty-seven percent of the patients with chest pain were hospitalized with a suspected acute coronary syndrome, while 63% were directly discharged from the emergency department. The diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome was confirmed in 79% of hospitalized patients. Among the patients discharged directly from the emergency department 68% were immediately sent back home (69 +/- 60 min from admission) and 32% required a brief clinical observation lasting 10 +/- 6 hours and including serial electrocardiographic and myocardial injury marker assessment. The average cost of the emergency department triage was 189 +/- 237 [symbol: see text]/patient. The 1-month follow-up of the patients directly discharged from the emergency department revealed a 2.5% incidence of acute coronary syndromes (3 acute myocardial infarctions), but no deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Data obtained from our multicenter observational study suggest that present triage modalities for patients with chest pain in the emergency department based on patient history, clinical data, electrocardiography, and myocardial injury marker assessment could be improved in terms of accuracy and efficacy. Our data provide the clinical and economical framework for the designation of trials of new accelerated critical pathways for chest pain evaluation in the emergency department.