A 36-Year-Old Male With Left-Sided Neck Pain and Progressive Dyspnea.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 36-year-old male with no significant medical history presented to the ED with progressive left-sided neck and facial pain for the last 7 days. The patient also reported subjective fevers, chills, difficulty opening his mouth, and anorexia for the last 1 week. He denied cough, chest pain or tightness, shortness of breath, skin rashes, dysphagia, or odynophagia. He reported use of two to three 59.15 mL beers daily for the last 20 years. There was no recent travel or sick contact exposure. He did not report any TB exposure, IV drug use, or recent sexual encounters.

A 24-year-Old woman with recurrent pneumothoraces.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is an abnormal proliferation of smooth muscle-like cells and may occur sporadically or in association with tuberous sclerosis complex. Patients are typically female, nonsmoking and may have cystic lung disease with pneumothorax. Diagnosis can be made by compatible imaging findings with a history of tuberous sclerosis complex, or in conjunction with vascular endothelial growth factor-D 800 pg/ml or greater, a highly specific finding. Sirolimus is first line treatment for LAM.

A 22-year-old COVID-19 positive male with no prior medical history presented to the emergency department with pulmonary infarction.

Rapidly growing evidence has now shown a high incidence of venous thrombosis in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome secondary to novel coronavirus 2, a disease now named COVID-19. Accumulating case reports and series have also shown a higher prevalence of arterial thrombosis in these patients as well. Although the pathophysiology remains unknown but likely multifactorial - including endotheliitis from direct viral damage and an underlying hyper-inflammatory state, arterial and venous thrombosis occurrence does not appear to be linked with underlying classic risk factors for venous thromboembolism and may present in healthy patients without significant comorbidities. We present a case of a 22-year-old healthy patient with COVID-19 who developed a pulmonary embolism with a pulmonary infarction, a complication that results from arterial and venous thrombosis of the pulmonary vascular supply resulting in tissue necrosis.

Misoprostol-induced Coronary Vasospasm Complicated by Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy and Cardiac Arrest.

Misoprostol is a synthetic E1 prostaglandin commonly used to induce abortion in the United States and elsewhere. There is limited literature on the cardiovascular adverse effects of misoprostol, and, to the best of our knowledge, very few such events have been reported. We describe the case of 52-year-old woman who was given misoprostol for cervical softening before endometrial ablation and experienced a cardiac arrest due to coronary vasospasm. She was successfully resuscitated and echocardiography showed features consistent with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Coronary angiography revealed coronary artery spasm which responded to nitroglycerin. Our case adds to the limited literature on this life-threatening adverse event of misoprostol. LEARNING POINTS: Misoprostol is frequently used obstetrics and gynaecology and routinely for the medical termination of pregnancy.Misoprostol can result in cardiac arrest due to coronary vasospasm.Coronary vasospasm induced by misoprostol can be relieved with intra-arterial nitroglycerin.

Ventilator-induced barotrauma in critically ill patients with COVID-19: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Ventilator-induced Barotrauma is a complication of intubation that is associated with high driving pressures and positive end-expiratory pressure use. We attempt to determine the incidence of barotrauma in intubated patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: Retrospective observation case series of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection who were intubated in the ICU. Data were collected for a total of 3 months from electronic health records on patient's age, sex, BMI, incidence of barotrauma, total length of intubation and outcome. Results: Ninteen out of the 100 included patients developed barotrauma as defined by radiographic evidence of pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum or subcutaneous emphysema. The average BMI of patients with barotrauma was 32.06 kg/m2 with an average age of 56.84 years and 9 patients being classified as obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Fourteen out of 19 patients (73%) with barotrauma were intubated for 10 or more days with a median of 16.52 days. The overall mortality rate was noted to be 92% amongst intubated patients. Conclusion: Rate of barotrauma in COVID-19 intubated patients was noted to be 19% in our study, which is on par with the rate of ventilator-induced barotrauma with the previous SARS virus-associated ARDS, and higher than that of the general population with ARDS. Patients who developed barotrauma were also noted to be intubated for a significantly longer duration (16.52 days) as compared to their non-barotrauma counterparts. These findings suggest a need for more data and randomized studies to establish appropriate ventilator management strategies for patients with lung injury associated with COVID-19.

A STEMI mimic (Brugada ECG pattern) unveiled by influenza fever.

Brugada syndrome is a genetic disease with a characteristic electrocardiogram (ECG) findings of ST elevation in leads V1-V3 with a right bundle branch block (RBBB) appearance called Brugada ECG pattern and a tendency to develop malignant polymorphic ventricular arrhythmias that may lead to syncope or cardiac arrest. Common triggers for Brugada ECG pattern include fever, tricyclic antidepressants, lithium, cocaine and alcohol. This ECG pattern together with clinical findings mentioned above is termed Brugada Syndrome. We report a case of a 51-year-old male with a past medical history of hypertension presented to emergency department with 2-day complaint of fever, chills, sore throat, nasal congestion, malaise, productive cough, was positive for Influenza B and on ECG found to have type-I (coved) Brugada ECG pattern. Influenza fever associated with Brugada ECG pattern is a rare manifestation; in fact, to the best of our knowledge, only three case reports have been published in the literature to date.

Lambl's Excrescences Associated With Left Frontal Ischemic Stroke: A Case Report.

Lambl's excrescences (LEs) are thin filiform strands of connective tissue found on the closure line of valves. Their exact etiology is unknown, and most of them are typically asymptomatic. We present a case of a 33-year-old African American male with a history of right upper extremity weakness that resolved on its own within a few minutes. On physical examination, no focal neurologic deficit was observed. MRI brain showed a tiny curvilinear focus of restricted diffusion with subtle T2-FLAIR hyperintensity in the left frontal/insular region, indicating a recent cortical infarct. Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) was performed as a part of cryptogenic stroke workup, which showed LE on aortic valve leaflet tips. Our patient had elevated blood pressure (BP) on arrival; however, in LE's presence, the embolic phenomena of stroke cannot be excluded. In conclusion, this case adds to a limited number of cases with such cardioembolic phenomena, which will help in further illustrating and highlighting the need for more prospective studies to establish a causal relationship between LE and cardioembolic strokes.

Confirmed E-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury (EVALI) with lung biopsy; A case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: E-cigarette or vaping has become an increasingly popular alternative to smoking tobacco. In September 2019 multiple cases of confirmed E-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury were published. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the pathologic mechanism of this condition. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature review in PubMed and EMBASE aiming to obtain additional clinical data on confirmed E-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury cases with lung biopsy results. With this information we hope to determine whether this condition is related to a histopathological pattern of acute lung injury instead of lipid deposits. RESULTS: Seven articles were reviewed and a total of 27 cases were included. Imaging findings predominantly showed presence of diffuse bilateral ground glass opacities. A majority of patients had complete resolution of the disease. The most common histopathological pattern was organizing pneumonia present in almost half of the patients. Other frequently occurring patterns included diffuse alveolar damage and acute fibrinous pneumonitis; lipoid pneumonia was found in one case. CONCLUSION: The underlying pathophysiological mechanism in E-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury is most likely acute lung injury related to direct inhalant-mediated parenchymal inflammation.

Ruptured Left Ventricular False Tendon Mimicking a Mural Vegetation.

Left ventricular false tendons are cord like structures that traverse the left ventricular cavity. They are found in approximately half of the human hearts examined at autopsy and have no clinical or prognostic significance. They have been well described and usually pose no diagnostic dilemma. We present the first case of a partially ruptured false tendon mimicking mural vegetation in an 80-year-old male with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Escherichia coli bacteremia.