Dantrolene Administration in the Management of the Prehospital Patient with Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Overdose: A Case Series and Literature Review.

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a psychoactive substance that is used commonly as a recreational drug at rave music festivals. MDMA intoxication can cause a myriad of symptoms and side effects including the manifestation of hyperpyrexia in patients. Hyperpyrexia can mimic a heat stroke and ultimately lead to various forms of end-organ damage. The most common methods used in treating MDMA-induced hyperpyrexia focus on the rapid reduction of core body temperature. Various off-label medications have also been used in combating MDMA-induced hyperpyrexia. Dantrolene is one such medication, although its role in the treatment of MDMA intoxication remains uncertain. This case series preliminarily examines the efficacy of dantrolene in mitigating MDMA-induced hyperpyrexia and potentially reducing the risk of end-organ damage in patients suffering from MDMA overdose. This study focuses on nine patients who presented after ingesting various forms of MDMA at "rave" music events. All patients were found to be hyperthermic in the field with a maximum core body temperature of 109 degrees Fahrenheit. All patients were immediately managed by cooling measures, and seven patients additionally received dantrolene in the field before being transferred to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Upon arrival to the hospital, nearly every patient was found to have significantly decreased body temperatures when compared to previously measured body temperatures out in the field. However, nearly all patients in the study were also noted to have laboratory abnormalities consistent with various forms of end-organ damage. The degree and severity of end-organ damage observed in MDMA-induced hyperpyrexia seem to be a function of initial core body temperature. Higher core body temperature tends to correlate with more forms of end-organ damage and a higher severity of end-organ damage. Intervention with dantrolene and cooling measures appeared to have no effect on reducing the risk of developing end-organ damage in this patient population.

Intrapleural Tissue Plasminogen Activator and Dornase Alfa Administration for a Multiloculated Recurrent Malignant Pleural Effusion: A Case Report.

Malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) can often be very difficult to manage despite conservative interventions including thoracentesis and indwelling pleural catheter placement. These effusions can be septated and loculated, leading to complexities in drainage and symptomatic relief for patients. As such, physicians have experimented with the use of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and dornase alfa (DNase) in attempts to drain complex malignant pleural effusions. Although the use of t-PA and DNase has been well studied in the context of empyema, the literature is limited in regards to the use of these medications in MPEs. Here, we present the case of a patient with a history of metastatic lung adenocarcinoma complicated by recurrent MPEs. Bedside ultrasonography revealed a septated fluid pocket in the pleural space of the right hemithorax. An indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) was placed with minimal symptomatic relief. The decision was made to administer t-PA and DNase through the IPC, resulting in the resolution of symptoms and radiographic findings. This case highlights the potential benefit of using t-PA and DNase to help drain complex malignant pleural effusions.

Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis with concomitant disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial infection in a patient with AIDS from a nonendemic region (California).

BACKGROUND: Opportunistic infections, while well studied in the AIDS population, continue to have variable and surprising presentations. Here, we present a case of disseminated histoplasmosis with disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial infection in a 50 year old man with long standing AIDS living in a non-endemic area. CASE PRESENTATION: Patient presented with a constellation of symptoms, and imaging of the chest showed a pulmonary mass with cavitation, multiple nodules, and ground glass opacities. Further investigations revealed granulomatous lung nodules and fungemia consistent with Histoplasma capsulatum, and coinfection with disseminated nontuberculous mycobateria in a nonendemic area. CONCLUSIONS: Immunocompromised patients risk co-inhabitation by multiple infectious organisms. Some of these organisms may preside in the host for years prior to reactivation. Clinicians in non endemic areas should therefore be careful to not overlook specific organisms based on a lack of a recent travel history. Physicians in nonendemic areas should become more familiar with the clinical findings and diagnostic approach of infectious such as Histoplasmosis, to ensure earlier recognition and treatment in immunocompromised individuals.

Paraneoplastic syndrome as the presentation of limited stage small cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is one of the deadliest forms of lung cancer due to its poor prognosis upon diagnosis, rapid doubling time, and affinity for metastasis. As 60-70% of patients with SCLC have disseminated disease upon presentation, it is imperative to determine the extent of disease burden for treatment. As a neuroendocrine carcinoma, clinicians must pay close attention to abnormal findings in a smoker that could lead to earlier diagnosis and better prognostication. CASE PRESENTATION: A 64 year-old 20-pack year smoker presented to the emergency department with nausea and vomiting for 3 days. No inciting events were elicited. History and review of symptoms were negative including symptoms most-commonly associated with malignancy such as fevers and weight loss. He also denied any pulmonary symptoms. Physical examination was benign except for right lung end-expiratory wheezing. Our patient was clinically euvolemic. Initial blood laboratories showed a sodium 110, serum osmolarity 227, and urine osmolarity of 579. Fluid restriction led to normalization of his sodium and resolution of nausea & vomiting. Chest radiography was obtained to follow-up on the wheezing, which was read as no acute cardiopulmonary disease by radiology. Due to high suspicion of SIADH from malignancy, a CT of the chest was performed which showed a conglomerate of nodules and opacities in the right upper lobe. Biopsy revealed SCLC. At outpatient follow-up, patient had a PET-CT showing one active mediastinal lymph node as the only site of metastasis. He received three round of chemotherapy, chest and prophylactic cranial radiation, and deemed in remission by oncology. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Due to its affinity for metastases, 70% of patients with SCLC present with symptoms related to the spread of cancer to affected organ systems. Given the aggressive nature of this disease, screening measures have been implemented to help diagnose limited stage SCLC. Unfortunately, in our patient and many others, screening guidelines may fail to identify appropriate patients to scan. It is therefore imperative to use our clinical index of suspicion and identify any early presentations (including paraneoplastic syndromes) which may tip off the beginning stages of SCLC. This could improve survival rates by up to 45%.