Clinico-Demographic Profile and Factors Affecting Duration of Hospital Stay Among Burn Patients in an Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Center, South India: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Burns continue to be a serious public health problem in India. It persists as an endemic disease in spite of implementing various preventive measures at the individual and community levels. Etiology and factors influencing burns are varied. There is a paucity of data regarding the clinico-demographic profile of burns disease, especially from emergency tertiary care settings in India. Objective To assess the proportion of burn patients having longer hospital stays (>1 week) and the influence of clinico-demographic factors associated with it among the burn patients presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary care institute in south India. Methodology An institution-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among burns patients attending the Emergency Medicine Department (EMD) of a tertiary care center between January 2017 and December 2017. Information on clinico-demographic profile and duration of hospital stay were captured using semi-structured data collection proforma. Results All the 327 burns injury patients who presented to our EMD during the study period were included. Among the 327 patients, 259 (79%) were admitted to the EMD. Among 259 admitted patients, 142 (55%) patients were discharged home. Among these 142 patients, 106 (74.6%; 95%CI 66.8-81.2) had longer hospital stays (more than one week). Female gender and facial/inhalational burns were found to have an independent effect on the length of hospital stay even after adjusted analysis. Conclusion Length of hospital stay is independently influenced by female gender and facial/inhalational burns. This study also identified the need for better home safety, child-proofing, proper pre-hospital care, and dedicated burns units in the community.

Nonketotic Hyperglycemic Hemichorea in an Elderly Male: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Nonketotic hyperglycemic hemichorea is a rare complication of diabetes mellitus seen in the emergency department. It is most commonly reported in elderly women, predominantly of Asian race, with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. Patients present with a triad of nonketotic hyperglycemia, hemichorea, and contralateral basal ganglia abnormality on imaging. Its exact pathophysiology is still not known. However, it has a very good prognosis with early diagnosis and treatment. CASE REPORT: We report a case of hemichorea involving the right upper and lower limbs due to nonketotic hyperglycemia. The patient's symptoms resolved after normalization of blood glucose. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Nonketotic hyperglycemic hemichorea should be included in the differential of a patient presenting with chorea and high blood glucose levels. It has an excellent prognosis with both symptoms and imaging abnormalities typically resolving completely with restoration of normoglycemia.

Role of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Diagnosing Cysticercosis.

Soft-tissue swelling is common in clinical practice and few common causes are lipoma, sebaceous cyst, abscess, etc. Though rare, myocutaneous cysticercosis can also be a differential. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can help diagnose myocutaneous cysticercosis, which can predict neurocysticercosis among patients presenting with headaches and seizures. Myocutaneous cysticercosis is often seen as a cystic lesion with eccentric hyperechoic foci (scolex) in ultrasound. Here, we describe a case of multiple swellings in the neck and forearm associated with headache, which turned out to be myocutaneous cysticercosis and neurocysticercosis, diagnosed with the help of ultrasound.