Use and Outcomes of Dexamethasone in the Management of Malignant Small Bowel Obstruction.

Objective: To describe rates of dexamethasone use in the nonoperative management of malignant small bowel obstruction (mSBO) and their outcomes. Background: mSBO is common in patients with advanced abdominal-pelvic cancers. Management includes prioritizing quality of life and avoiding surgical intervention when possible. The use of dexamethasone to restore bowel function is recommended in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for mSBO. Yet, it is unknown how often dexamethasone is used for mSBO and whether results from nonresearch settings support its use. Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study including unique admissions for mSBO from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021. Dexamethasone use and management outcomes were summarized with descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression. Results: Among 571 admissions (68% female, mean age 63 years, 85% history of abdominal surgery) that were eligible and initially nonoperative, 26% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 23%-30%] received dexamethasone treatment (69% female, mean age 62 years, 87% history of abdominal surgery). Dexamethasone use by site ranged from 13% to 52%. Among dexamethasone recipients, 13% (95% CI = 9%-20%) subsequently required nonelective surgery during the same admission and 4 dexamethasone-related safety-events were reported. Amongst 421 eligible admissions where dexamethasone was not used, 17% (95% CI = 14%-21%) required nonelective surgery. Overall, the unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for nonelective surgery with dexamethasone use compared to without its use was 0.7 (95% CI = 0.4-1.3). Using multiple logistic regression, OR after adjusting for site, age, sex, history of abdominal surgery, nasogastric tube, and Gastrografin use was 0.6 (95% CI = 0.3-1.1). Conclusion: Dexamethasone was used in about 1 in 4 eligible mSBO admissions with high variability of use between tertiary academic centers. This multicenter retrospective cohort study suggested an association between dexamethasone use and lower rates of nonelective surgery, representing a potential opportunity for quality improvement.

Implementation of a Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) and Linkage Program by Leveraging Community Partnerships and Medical Toxicology Expertise.

INTRODUCTION: Implementing a hospital medication for addiction treatment (MAT) and a linkage program can improve care for patients with substance use disorder (SUD); however, lack of hospital funding and brick and mortar SUD resources are potential barriers to feasibility. METHODS: This study assesses the feasibility of implementation of a SUD linkage program. Components of the program include a county-funded hospital opioid support team (HOST), a hospital-employed addiction recovery specialist (ARS), and a medical toxicology MAT induction service and maintenance program. Data for linkage by HOST, ARS, and MAT program were tracked from July 2018 to December 2019. RESULTS: From July 2018 through December 2019, 1834 patients were linked to treatment: 1536 by HOST and 298 by the ARS. The most common disposition categories for patients linked by HOST were 16.73% to medically monitored detoxification, 9.38% to intensive outpatient, and 8.59% to short-term residential treatment. Among patients linked by the ARS, 65.66% were linked to outpatient treatment and 9.43% were linked directly to inpatient treatment. A total of 223 patients managed by the ARS were started on MAT by medical toxicology and linked to outpatient MAT clinic: 72.68% on buprenorphine/naloxone, 24.59% on naltrexone, 1.09% buprenorphine, and 0.55% acamprosate. CONCLUSION: Implementing a MAT and linkage program in the ED and hospital setting was feasible. Leveraging medical toxicology expertise as well as community and funding partnerships was crucial to successful implementation.

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.

Complication of otitis media leads to opisthotonos in a toddler.

Opisthotonos, extreme involuntary neck and back extension, is rarely seen in modern emergency departments. Vaccines have prevented the most common causes of this clinical presentation. Alternatively, otitis media is one of the most common pediatric infections and is characteristically non-invasive and harmless. In exceedingly rare cases, otitis media can develop complications and progress to invasive pneumococcal diseases including mastoiditis and meningitis. Streptococcus pneumoniae accounts for the majority of otitis media infections, however, since the introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) otitis media and its complications have decreased significantly. The present case reports of a previously healthy and immunized child presenting to a pediatric emergency department (PED) with opisthotonos, and was found to have pneumococcal meningitis, bacteremia and mastoiditis arising from otitis media.