Acute Viral Hepatitis Due to Co-infection With Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B in an Intravenous Drug User.

Injection drug users are at high risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) due to parenteral exposure. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is classically thought to be transmitted through the fecal-oral route, but injection drug use is increasingly recognized as a risk factor. It is well documented that there is a high prevalence of total antibodies to HAV in injection drug users, although there is limited data about the prevalence of acute HAV in injection drug users. Acute viral hepatitis is most often due to HAV, HBV, or hepatitis E virus (HEV), and it is rare to have acute co-infection with these viruses. We report a case of acute viral hepatitis due to co-infection with both HAV and HBV in an injection drug user.

Disseminated blastomycosis presenting as a retro-orbital mass.

A 43-year-old man with history of non-Hodgkins' lymphoma presented with unilateral eye swelling, pain and vision deficits which had been progressive over 2 months. Symptoms followed a presumed bacterial pneumonia 4 months prior. Imaging demonstrated retro-orbital soft tissue swelling with bony erosion concerning for a mass; surgical decompression was performed with histology confirming disseminated Blastomyces dermatitidis Symptoms responded rapidly to antifungal therapy with amphotericin followed by itraconazole. Orbital dissemination of blastomycosis is extremely rare; accurate diagnosis requires tissue biopsy to facilitate timely targeted therapy and minimise morbidity.

Severe cholestatic hyperbilirubinaemia secondary to thyrotoxicosis complicated with bile cast nephropathy treated with plasma exchange and haemodialysis.

Thyrotoxicosis rarely presents as cholestatic hyperbilirubinaemia, and severe bilirubin elevation may lead to bile cast nephropathy. We present a case of a young woman with newly diagnosed Graves' disease with thyrotoxicosis who developed severe hyperbilirubinaemia and bile cast nephropathy. Serial plasma exchange and temporary haemodialysis led to full renal recovery. After treatment of her thyrotoxicosis with antithyroid medication and radioactive iodine ablation, her bilirubin normalised.

Adult-onset Still's disease with haemorrhagic pericarditis and tamponade preceded by acute Lyme disease.

A 61-year-old Caucasian man presented with a fever of unknown origin, a transient erythematous rash on his right upper extremity and chest pressure after being treated for erythema migrans (Lyme disease). Echocardiogram demonstrated a large pericardial effusion with tamponade. He underwent pericardiostomy with tube placement. Workup for infectious and malignant etiologies was negative. Histology of the pericardium showed acute on chronic fibrinous haemorrhagic pericarditis. The patient met criteria for adult-onset Still's disease. Symptoms resolved following treatment with methylprednisolone and anakinra. We believe this is the first case of adult-onset Still's disease precipitated by acute Lyme disease.

Hospitalized patients' and family members' preferences for real-time, transparent access to their hospital records.

OBJECTIVES: To better understand patient satisfaction and perceived engagement with traditional hospital-based communication and to elicit patient preferences for health information technologies that would lead to improved satisfaction and engagement. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a mixed-methods study involving qualitative interviews followed by a survey of hospitalized patients and their family members at a single large academic medical center. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 41 patients and surveyed 267 patients or family members to elicit their perspectives on satisfaction with traditional hospital communication methods, information needed to more fully engage in the patients' medical care, and potential solutions for improved hospital-based communication. RESULTS: Qualitative interviews revealed patients' and family members' dissatisfaction with current hospital-based communication methods. They would prefer more information, in more flexible forms, with real-time digital access and the ability to share within their social and healthcare networks. Quantitative results from the survey supported these premises, with at least the majority of the 267 patients surveyed agreeing across each survey question. Furthermore, participants identified a "communications point person" as the individual who organizes, understands, and communicates about the patient's care, who was often a family member not available at the bedside during daily rounds. Potential solutions included improved transparency about hospital processes, creating systems that allow patients and family to help coordinate and double-check their own health-related communications, and delivering hospital-based communications through digital media. CONCLUSIONS: These study findings provide empiric evidence to hospital decision-makers regarding patient and family preferences for 21st-century hospital-based communication systems.

A necrotic tonsillar lesion: An unusual presentation of disseminated histoplasmosis.

We report a case of tonsillar histoplasmosis with hematogenous dissemination in a woman receiving infliximab for Crohn's disease. She also had a history of sarcoidosis. Due to the unusual location and confounding medical history, our case provided a diagnostic dilemma. Histoplasma infection was confirmed histologically, and the patient responded well to appropriate treatment.

Methemoglobinemia Caused by Portable Dialysis in the Critically Ill.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the root cause of a series of methemoglobinemia cases in a medical ICU. RESULTS: We report a sentinel case of methemoglobinemia that was associated with dialysis sessions using a portable dialysis unit in our hospital. This led to the identification of four additional patients who developed methemoglobinemia while undergoing portable dialysis. We determined that these episodes were caused by inadequate clearance of chloramine from the tap water used for portable dialysis. Introduction of larger capacity carbon filters into the portable dialysis systems resulted in no further cases of methemoglobinemia at our institution. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware of municipal tap water as a potential cause of methemoglobinemia and monitor for excessive levels of oxidants in dialysis water sources. The capacity of the hemodialysis equipment to clear chloramine can vary as a function of external factors. Using a reliable test method to identify chloramines in the water prior to entering the hemodialysis equipment is essential.