Acute HIV presenting as rhabdomyolysis.

A man, in his early 30s, with no significant medical history presented with a 2-week history of fatigue, chest and abdominal pain, associated with anorexia and vomiting. Initial laboratory testing was suggestive of rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure and transaminitis. The aetiology of his rhabdomyolysis initially remained unexplained as there were no clear risk factors or inciting events. An extensive workup revealed acute HIV as the precipitant of rhabdomyolysis.

Accelerated right heart failure due to lung resection in the setting of chronic respiratory failure.

A 68-year-old woman with a past medical history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung with recent right upper and middle lobectomy was admitted for dyspnea and volume overload. She was diagnosed with right-sided heart failure (RHF) through clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic means. In the setting of chronic respiratory failure, the recent right lung lobectomy was deemed to be the inciting factor of the RHF. The mechanism by which RHF occurs in this situation is multifactorial, and it is essential to undergo pre-operative risk stratification and post-operative monitoring to avoid emergent events. .

Myocardial Bridging Unmasks as an Acute Coronary Syndrome from Dehydration.

A 50-year-old male presented for loss of consciousness. He was initially treated with intravenous epinephrine and fluids, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) displayed an ST-segment elevation in lead aVR with global ST-segment depressions. A subsequent left heart catheterization revealed that the middle segment of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) demonstrated severe stenosis during systole but would become patent during diastole, which was suggestive of myocardial bridging. After stopping the epinephrine and increasing the fluid infusion, the ECG changes rapidly resolved. The patient had later admitted to significant dehydration all day. Myocardial bridging is a congenital anomaly in which a coronary artery segment courses through the myocardium instead of the usual epicardial surface. Occasionally, myocardial bridging may present similarly to acute coronary syndrome in severe dehydration or hyperadrenergic states. The diagnosis can be made through coronary angiography, which reveals a dynamic vessel obstruction pattern corresponding with the cardiac cycle. Long-term effects may also include accelerated atherosclerosis. Treatment consists of reversing precipitating causes during acute presentations and decreasing the risk of coronary artery disease on a chronic basis.

Active bleeding from downhill varices: case report and management.

Video 1EGD revealing 1 column of nonbleeding grade 2 varices in the middle third of the esophagus at the anterior wall; absent red wale sign and 3 columns of nonbleeding grade 3 varices in the upper third of the esophagus in the anterior and posterior wall. Stigmata of recent bleeding evident, red wale signs present, and 1 white nipple sign identified in the anterior wall, in the same column coming from the middle esophagus. Successful variceal banding ligation was performed, and there was no recurrence of bleeding.

Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma.

Papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is a primary, histologically benign endocardial neoplasm. Though PFE has long been reported as the second most common primary cardiac neoplasm, it has since pulled ahead of cardiac myxomas, largely due to evolving cardiac imaging modalities. While PFEs are benign histologically, they have the potential for devastating clinical consequences, transient ischemic attack, stroke, myocardial infarction, syncope, pulmonary, and peripheral embolism. Despite increased detection rate, there remains uncertainty regarding etiology, exact prevalence, and clinical management of PFEs. This paucity of information is reflected by the lack of official guidelines on this matter. In this article, we aim to summarize the current state of understanding regarding PFE and discuss areas of ongoing controversy.

Cryptococcal meningitis presenting with acute hearing loss.

Reversible sensorineural hearing loss is a recognised complication of cryptococcal meningitis. Cryptococcal meningitis typically presents with usual symptoms of fever, headache and neck stiffness. This case highlights acute, profound, bilateral hearing loss as the initial symptom and presentation of cryptococcal meningitis in a young woman, who was later diagnosed with AIDS.

Unusual aetiology of respiratory compromise in a patient with AIDS.

A 36-year-old African American man with no medical history presented with a recent history of cough and dyspnoea. Initial chest imaging revealed diffuse bilateral lung infiltrates. A subsequent HIV test resulted positive, and he was presumptively diagnosed with AIDS, later confirmed by a CD4 of 88 cells/mm3 Empiric therapy with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was initiated for presumed Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. The patient's clinical status deteriorated despite treatment. Further workup with chest CT, bronchoscopy and skin biopsy led to a diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma with pulmonary involvement. Highly active antiretroviral therapy therapy was initiated, along with plans to start chemotherapy. However, the patient's clinical status rapidly declined, leading to respiratory failure and eventual death. This case underlines the importance of maintaining a broad differential in immunocompromised patients presenting with respiratory symptoms.

Mosquito borne illness in a Floridian hiker.

Chikungunya is an arboviral infection that manifests as an acute viral illness associated with an inflammatory arthritis. It was first described during an outbreak in Tanzania in 1952 and, until 2013, outbreaks had been limited in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In late 2013, the first local transmission of Chikungunya was identified in Caribbean countries with subsequent spread throughout Central and South America. In 2019, the CDC reported 171 travel-associated cases of Chikungunya in the United States. As of October 2020, the CDC records 17 travel-associated cases of Chikungunya in six states including California, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. This is the first reported case of Chikungunya acquired in Florida with no international travel history.