Load and go: Assessing safety outcomes of patients discharged from the emergency department after receiving phenobarbital for alcohol withdrawal.

Objectives: Phenobarbital (PB) is a long-acting GABA A-agonist with favorable pharmacokinetics (long half-life and duration of effect) that allows effective treatment of alcohol withdrawal (AW) after administration of a single loading dose. Current evidence suggests that in the setting of AW, PB administration may be associated with decreased hospital admissions and hospital length of stay. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety outcomes of AW patients who were treated and discharged from the emergency department (ED) after receiving PB for AW. Methods: This retrospective chart review included a convenience sample of 33 AW patients who presented to four EDs within an 18-month span. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used to describe demographics, distribution of resources and referrals, and the safety outcomes of PB administration for low-risk AW patients. Patients were selected for inclusion in consultation with a medical toxicologist, treated with PB, and discharged from the ED. Electronic medical records were utilized to gather information on the patient cohort. Results: All patients were treated with at least a single loading dose of 5‒10 mg/kg (ideal body weight) of intravenous or per os PB during their ED stay. Only one patient had an unanticipated event after discharge, which was related to driving against advice. Two additional patients had ED revisits for recurrent alcohol use within 72 h, and 16 patients had recurrent alcohol use within 30 days. All 33 patients were provided with resources for linkage to treatment. None required hospital admission. Conclusion: ED PB "load and go" may be a safe, effective AW treatment that could help treat AW, facilitate linkage to specific rehabilitation treatments, and decrease hospital admissions.

Lithium Toxicity: A Case Report of Toxicity Resulting in a Third-degree Heart Block.

Introduction: Lithium is a medication used to treat bipolar disorder. It has a narrow therapeutic index, which frequently causes toxicity in patients. Case Report: We present an unusual case of a 66-year-old female with a history of bipolar disorder on chronic lithium, who developed a third-degree heart block, encephalopathy, and acute renal failure because of lithium toxicity. Conclusion: This case highlights a rare but life-threatening case of complete heart block in the setting of lithium toxicity. The patient was treated with hemodialysis and pacemaker placement.

A Case of a Serum Sickness-Like Reaction After Postexposure Rabies Prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND: Serum sickness secondary to rabies postexposure prophylaxis is not well documented in the medical literature. Our case describes serum sickness after exposure to human-derived rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) and three human diploid rabies vaccines (HDCV) in a young adult male. CASE REPORT: A 30-year-old previously healthy male patient presented to the Emergency Department with complaints of fever, rash, and jaundice, and had a hospital course complicated by biliary stenosis likely secondary to reactive periportal lymphadenopathy. His initial laboratory values demonstrated obstructive jaundice and slightly elevated complement component 4 levels. These symptoms likely are due to the course of HRIG and HDCV vaccines the patient completed after being exposed to a rabies-positive bat in his home. The patient was hospitalized for 8 days, during which he underwent an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy and biliary stenting. He had one repeat hospitalization for acute blood loss anemia attributed to sphincterotomy, which did not require transfusion or further intervention. Liver biopsy showed cholestatic hepatitis. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Medical literature describing serum sickness or a serum sickness-like reaction occurring from exposure to HRIG or HDCV is sparse despite the commonality of postexposure rabies prophylaxis in health care. It is important to educate practitioners on this potential complication and highlight next potential consultations and treatments.

Combined Ethylene Glycol Poisoning with Methemoglobinemia Due to Antifreeze Ingestion.

BACKGROUND: Antifreeze poisoning is potentially life-threatening and often requires multiple antidotal therapies and hemodialysis. Ethylene or propylene glycol toxicity is commonly caused by antifreeze ingestion. However, ingestion of antifreeze is typically not associated with methemoglobinemia. Currently, only one other case of antifreeze ingestion causing combined ethylene glycol poisoning and methemoglobinemia has been reported. CASE REPORT: A 56-year-old man presented after a witnessed, intentional, large-volume antifreeze ingestion. Evaluation revealed dark brown blood and significantly elevated methemoglobin and ethylene glycol levels. He was successfully treated with methylene blue, fomepizole, and hemodialysis. No other potential cause for methemoglobinemia was elucidated, and further research indicated that minor components of the specific antifreeze product served as an oxidizing agent. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: This case highlights the impact of minor, unreported product components that may significantly contribute to clinical toxicity, as well as the need to remain vigilant when reviewing product information and potential limitations therein.

The Toxicology Investigators Consortium 2022 Annual Report.

Since 2010, medical toxicology physicians from the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) have provided reports on their in-hospital and clinic patient consultations to a national case registry, known as the ToxIC Core Registry. De-identified patient data entered into the registry includes patient demographics, reason for medical toxicology evaluation, exposure agents, clinical signs and symptoms, treatments and antidotes administered, and mortality. This thirteenth annual report provides data from 7206 patients entered into the Core Registry in 2022 by 35 participating sites comprising 52 distinct healthcare facilities, bringing the total case count to 94,939. Opioid analgesics were the most commonly reported exposure agent class (15.9%), followed by ethanol (14.9%), non-opioid analgesic (12.8%), and antidepressants (8.0%). Opioids were the leading agent of exposure for the first time in 2022 since the Core Registry started. There were 118 fatalities (case fatality rate of 1.6%). Additional descriptive analyses in this annual report were conducted to describe the location of the patient during hospitalization, telemedicine consultations, and addiction medicine treatments.

African Bush Viper Envenomation: A Case Report.

Atheris squamigera envenomation is an infrequently documented occurrence in the United States (US). Cases of envenomation may induce severe coagulopathies, renal failure, and potentially life-threatening hemorrhage. Currently, there are no antivenoms specific to the Atheris genus, but there have been documented cases of the use of antivenoms for other species. A 26-year-old man presented to the emergency department (ED) complaining of swelling and discomfort in his left foot after being bitten by an Atheris squamigera that he kept as a pet.After performing a physical exam, it was noted that the patient's envenomation was likely mild. Throughout his hospital stay, he developed lab abnormalities, most notably an elevated D-dimer and low fibrinogen. His clinical symptoms improved after a short stay, and he did not require antivenom treatment. This case highlights a rare, but potentially life-threatening envenomation that may be encountered in the US due to the continued practice of exotic pet ownership and sales. Moreover, procurement of antivenom for non-native species poses a unique challenge to US physicians responsible for treating these patients.

Perioperative Management of Patients on Maintenance Medication for Addiction Treatment: The Development of an Institutional Guideline.

With a brief summary of selected literature identified by a multidisciplinary panel of subject matter experts, the authors share their experience with the development of an institutional perioperative pain management guideline for patients on maintenance medication for addiction treatment (MAT), stressing the importance of perioperative continuation of opioid agonists such as methadone and partial agonists such as buprenorphine; and the discontinuation of opioid antagonists, such as naltrexone. The authors' protocol is appended as an example of a standardized approach to perioperative management of patients on MAT.

Influence of Pennsylvania liquor store closures during the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol withdrawal consultations.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a serious consequence of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic there was a closure of Pennsylvania (PA) liquor stores on March 17, 2020. METHODS: This is a retrospective, observational study of AWS patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital. We used descriptive statistics for continuous and categorical variables and compared AWS consults placed to the medical toxicology service for six months preceding liquor store closure to those placed between March 17, 2020 and August 31, 2020. We compared this to consults placed to the medical toxicology service placed from October 1, 2019 through March 16, 2020. Charts were identified based on consults placed to the medical toxicology service, and alcohol withdrawal was determined via chart review by a medical toxicologist. This study did not require IRB approval. We evaluated Emergency Department (ED) length of stay (LOS), weekly and monthly consultation rate, rate of admission and ED recidivism, both pre- and post-liquor store closure. RESULTS: A total of 324 AWS consults were placed during the ten month period. 142 (43.8%) and 182 (56.2%) consults were pre- and post-liquor store closure. The number of consults was not statistically significant comparing these two time frames. There was no significant difference by patient age, gender, or race or by weekly or monthly consultation rate when comparing pre- and post-liquor store periods. The median ED LOS was 7 h (95% Confidence Interval (CI) Larson et al. (2012), Pollard et al. (2020) [5, 11]) and did not significantly differ between pre- and post-liquor store periods (p = 0.78). 92.9% of AWS patients required admission without significant difference between the pre- and post-liquor store closure periods (94.4% vs. 91.8%, p = 0.36). There was a significant increase in the number of AWS patients requiring a return ED visit (Odds Ratio 2.49; 95% CI [1.38, 4.49]) post closure. CONCLUSION: There were nearly 2.5 times greater odds of ED recidivism among post-liquor store closure AWS patients compared with pre-closure AWS patients.

Reversible Total Vision Loss Caused by Severe Metformin-associated Lactic Acidosis: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Metformin is a biguanide used to treat diabetes mellitus (DM). Metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) carries a high mortality and can occur in patients with renal failure from drug bioaccumulation. Reversible vision loss is a highly unusual, rarely reported complication of MALA. We present a case of a patient whose serum metformin concentration was unusually high and associated with vision loss. CASE REPORT: A 60-year-old woman presented to an outside hospital emergency department with acute vision loss after being found at home confused, somnolent, and hypoglycemic, having last being seen normal two days prior. She reported vomiting and diarrhea during that time and a recently treated urinary tract infection. The visual loss resolved with continuous renal replacement therapy. CONCLUSION: This novel case of a patient with Type II DM prescribed metformin and insulin who developed reversible vision loss while suffering from MALA highlights the potential for vision loss in association with MALA.

A Case Report of Widely Disseminated Tuberculosis in Immunocompetent Adult Male.

INTRODUCTION: Disseminated tuberculosis (TB) is rare, affects any organ system, and presents mainly in immunocompromised populations. Typical presentation is non-specific, posing a challenge for diagnosis. CASE REPORT: This case presents an immunocompetent male presenting with severe headaches with meningeal signs. Lab and lumbar puncture results suggested bacterial meningitis, yet initial cerebral spinal fluid cultures and meningitis/encephalitis polymerase chain reaction were negative. A chest radiograph (CXR) provided the only evidence suggesting TB, leading to further tests showing dissemination to the brain, spinal cord, meninges, muscle, joint, and bone. DISCUSSION: This case stands to acknowledge the difficulty of diagnosis in the emergency department (ED), and the need for emergency physicians to maintain a broad differential including disseminated TB as a possibility from the beginning of assessment. In this case, emergency physicians should be aware of predisposing factors of disseminated TB in patients presenting with non-specific symptoms. They should also acknowledge that TB may present atypically in patients with minimal predisposing factors, rendering the need to further investigate abnormal CXR images despite lab results inconsistent with TB. CONCLUSION: While this diagnosis is easily missed, early identification in the ED can lead to optimal treatment.

Sex-specific Outcomes in a Substance Use Intervention Program.

PURPOSE: We performed an emergency department (ED)-based substance use screening, motivational interview-based intervention, and treatment referral program with the goal of determining sex-specific outcomes. Specifically, in this quality improvement project, we aimed to determine whether there was a difference among sexes in the type of substances used; the frequency of positive screening results for substance use disorder; agreeing to an intervention; the type of follow-up evaluation, participation, and referral; and attempts to change substance use after intervention. METHODS: We prospectively studied a convenience sample of patients at 3 hospitals in Northeastern Pennsylvania from May 2017 through February 2018. Inclusion criteria for participation in this study were age ≥18 years; ability to answer survey questions; willingness and ability (not being too ill) to participate in intervention(s); and when screened, admitting to use of alcohol, tobacco, potentially addictive prescription drugs, or street drugs. Practitioners in the ED screened patients. For those with unhealthy substance use, a brief motivational interview was performed. Participants were each given referrals and information in accordance with the particular substance used and their assessed readiness to change. Individuals who completed the intervention were contacted by telephone for follow-up. Self-reported outcomes and the frequency of successful warm hand-off referrals were assessed. FINDINGS: Of the 2209 individuals screened, 976 (44.2%) were male. Overall, 547 patients screened positive for at least 1 of the unhealthy substances for a prevalence of 24.8% (95% confidence interval, 22.9%-26.6%). In this population, a greater proportion of men screened positive than women (30.5% vs 20.2%, P = 0.01). Although the finding was not statistically significant, men (106 [35.6%]) were more likely than women (81 [32.5%]) to agree to an ED intervention. At telephone follow-up, men were more likely to report participating in a treatment or support program than women (32.9% vs 18.2%, P = 0.035). Frequencies of warm hand-off referrals were 11 of 106 (10.4%) for men and 2 of 81 (2.5%) for women. IMPLICATIONS: Our small study found that unhealthy substance use rates were greater overall in men than women. Overall participation differences between men and women who agreed to take part in substance intervention and accepted a referral for follow-up treatment were not statistically significant. At telephone follow-up, more men reported participating in a treatment program than women. Direct referral (warm hand-off) rates to treatment programs were small in both sexes but greater in men than women.