Diagnosis and management of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a genetic disorder of the myocardium that can lead to ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. The condition has been identified as a significant cause of arrhythmic death among young people and athletes, therefore, early recognition of the disease by emergency clinicians is critical to prevent subsequent death. The diagnosis of ARVC can be very challenging and requires a systematic approach. This publication reviews the pathophysiology, classification, clinical presentations, and appropriate approach to diagnosis and management of ARVC.

Dysrhythmias associated with COVID-19: Review and management considerations.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is known to affect the cardiovascular system. Cardiac manifestations in COVID-19 can be due to direct damage to the myocardium and conduction system as well as by the disease's effect on the various organ systems. These manifestations include acute coronary syndrome, ST- segment elevations, cardiomyopathy, and dysrhythmias. Some of these dysrhythmias can be detrimental to the patient. Therefore, it is important for the emergency physician to be aware of the different arrhythmias associated with COVID-19 and how to manage them. This narrative review discusses the pathophysiology underlying the various arrhythmias associated with COVID-19 and their management considerations.

High risk and low prevalence diseases: Hemophilia emergencies.

INTRODUCTION: Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder due to coagulation pathway factor deficiency that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: This review highlights the pearls and pitfalls of the emergency department (ED) evaluation of hemophilia, including diagnostic procedures, imaging, and management based on current evidence. DISCUSSION: Hemophilia is marked by deficiency in factor VIII (in hemophilia A) or IX (in hemophilia B), which may result in severe bleeding. The severity of the disease depends upon factor levels. Patients with severe deficiency most commonly present in the first two years of life. Severe bleeding may include intracranial hemorrhage, retroperitoneal bleeding, large hematomas, bleeding within the chest or abdomen/pelvis, and subacute or delayed postpartum bleeding. ED management is the immediate replacement of clotting factors based on the suspicion of bleed rather than the confirmation of one. The doses for factor concentrate replacement to achieve factor levels of 100% are 50 U/kg for FVIII and 100 U/kg for FIX. The development of inhibitors can complicate the clinical picture and treatment possibilities. Consultation with the hematology specialist is recommended to assist with evaluation and management. CONCLUSION: Emergency physician knowledge of hemophilia, including the presentation, evaluation, and management, can improve the care of these patients.

Allergic Acute Coronary Syndrome-Kounis Syndrome.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the setting of an allergic/immunologic reaction is known as Kounis syndrome. It is an underdiagnosed and underrecognized disease entity. One must keep a high index of suspicions when managing a patient presenting with cardiac as well as allergic symptoms. There are 3 main variants to the syndrome. Treating the allergic reaction may alleviate the pain; however, ACS guidelines should be followed if cardiac ischemia is present.

Wide Complex Tachycardias.

Wide complex tachycardias (WCT) are frequently encountered in the emergency department. Causes of WCT vary from benign (eg, supraventricular with rate-related aberrancy) to life threatening (eg, atrial fibrillation with WPW, or ventricular tachycardia). It is imperative that emergency physicians are familiar with the clinical presentation, underlying causes, and electrocardiographic features of the different causes of WCT. Treatment of WCT depends on patient stability, regularity of the rhythm, and QRS morphology. When in doubt, monomorphic WCT should be presumed to be ventricular tachycardia and treated as such.

Narrow Complex Tachycardias.

Narrow-complex tachycardias are commonly seen on shift in the emergency department. Although a portion of patients present with hemodynamic instability because of arrhythmia, it is important to know that the tachycardia can be a result of an underlying condition. Rapid identification of the type and etiology of the arrhythmia is vital to directing appropriate management strategies and disposition decisions.

Allergic Acute Coronary Syndrome-Kounis Syndrome.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the setting of an allergic/immunologic reaction is known as Kounis syndrome. It is an underdiagnosed and underrecognized disease entity. One must keep a high index of suspicions when managing a patient presenting with cardiac as well as allergic symptoms. There are 3 main variants to the syndrome. Treating the allergic reaction may alleviate the pain; however, ACS guidelines should be followed if cardiac ischemia is present.

58-year-old Male with a Headache, Hand Numbness, and Phantosmia.

INTRODUCTION: A 58-year-old male presents to the emergency department with headache, hand numbness, and phantosmia. CASE PRESENTATION: Magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple acute and early subacute lesions involving the cortex and subcortical white matter of the left frontal lobe, left parietal lobe, left temporal lobe, left caudate, and left putamen. DISCUSSION: This case takes the reader through the subtle findings that led to the diagnosis and ultimately to treatment.

Cardiac Emergencies in Kids.

Encountering a child with congenital heart disease after surgical palliation in the emergency department, specifically the single-ventricle or ventricular assist device, without a basic familiarity of these surgeries can be extremely anxiety provoking. Knowing what common conditions or complications may cause these children to visit the emergency department and how to stabilize will improve the chance for survival and is the premise for this article, regardless of practice setting.

40-year-old Male with a Headache and Altered Mental Status.

A 40-year-old man presents to the emergency department with headache, nausea and paresthesias, with subsequent fever and mental status change. Magnetic resonance imaging showed increased fluid-attenuation inversion recovery signal involving multiple areas of the brain, including the pons. This case takes the reader through the differential diagnosis of rhombencephalitis (inflammation of the hindbrain) with discussion of the unanticipated ultimate diagnosis and its treatment.

Measuring patient safety in the emergency department.

As a safety net for the health care system, quality and safety performance in emergency medicine (EM) is important for policy makers, insurers, researchers, health care providers, and patients. Developing performance indicators that are relevant, valid, feasible, and easy to measure has proven difficult. To monitor progress, patient safety should be measured objectively. Although conceptual frameworks and error taxonomies have been proposed, a practical scorecard for measuring patient safety over time in EM has been lacking. This article proposes a framework that measures safety through 4 major domains: (1) how often patients are harmed, (2) how often appropriate interventions are delivered, (3) how well errors in the system are identified and corrected, and (4) emergency department (ED) safety culture. Examples of specific measures for each of these domains are provided, but the EM community should reach consensus on what measures are important for the ED environment and patients.