Articles related to Hospitalist

Commotio cordis — cardiac arrest after a blunt force trauma to the chest — is thought to occur because a hard object strikes the chest in a vulnerable moment in the cardiac cycle, setting off ventricular fibrillation. The rare condition has been described with a ball strike to the chest, but primarily in young men whose chests haven’t fully developed, making them more susceptible to the blunt force of a ball.

She has been treating her IBS with bismuth subsalicylate. Her symptoms include shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting. On exam, the patient is confused. Laboratory testing showed primary anion-gap metabolic acidosis, primary respiratory alkalosis, and a salicylate level 25x greater than the normal upper limit.

Although the relationship between preceding viral illness and subsequent Guillain-Barre isn’t proven, it is a commonly observed pattern. The severity of GBS ranges from mild sensory disturbances to life-threatening loss of function requiring intubation.

A 63-year-old man is seen in the ER for new onset confusion. He has been taking codeine-guaifenesin as directed for a URI. Respirations are shallow and the rate is 10/min. Pupils are miotic and the patient is somnolent. Exam and vitals are otherwise normal. The confusion resolves with administration of naloxone. Why did this patient most likely have the drug reaction?

Are the findings a result of bacterial endocarditis? Resurgent sarcoidosis? An opportunistic fungal pulmonary invasion? Review the workup and cast your vote on what you think the diagnosis is.

The study looks at outcomes of people who came down with COVID during the infection’s first wave. Fatigue, pain, and memory loss were the most common persistent symptoms, in that order.