Blunt chest trauma to the heart may produce instantaneous death or, more frequently, congestive heart failure due to myocardial injury or disruption of intracardiac structures. Cardiac injury following by blunt chest trauma is often unsuspected and can range from cardiac contusion to chamber rupture, or to valvular dysfunction. The rate of occurrence of acute traumatic valvular insufficiency is extremely rare. Especially, the tricuspid valve is very rarely injured. Although clinical diagnosis of acute traumatic valvular insufficiency can be difficult to make for trauma patients with multiple injuries, echocardiography can establish diagnosis quickly and accurately. This report describes a patient who developed tricuspid regurgitation and acute heart failure following by an MCV.
Contusions ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Heart ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Multiple Trauma ; Rupture ; Thorax* ; Tricuspid Valve ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency*

Tetanus is a rare disease in the developed countries, including Korea, as a result of nearly universal active immunization. Because many physicians have little experience with its diagnosis and management, misdiagnosis and therapeutic delay may result in catastrophic consequences. We report one case of generalized tetanus. A previously healthy 35-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department because of stiffness on jaw and neck. board-like abdomen, extended and rigid both legs, chest tightness, and dyspnea. Seven days before admission, he was injured on the right thing at work. In the emergency department, he was given 5,000 units of human tetanus immunoglobulin intramuscularly, as well as diazepam 2 mg/hr intravenously. On the second hospital day, tracheostomy was performed. Ten days later, his condition was improved. Twenty eight days after admission, he was discharged without any complication.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Developed Countries ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Diazepam ; Dyspnea ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Jaw ; Korea ; Leg ; Neck ; Rare Diseases ; Tetanus* ; Thorax ; Tracheostomy ; Vaccination

No abstract available.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Emergency Treatment* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Female ; Ovary* ; Teratoma*

Most currently available statins are associated with an increase with risk of myositis, including rhabdomyolysis. Myopathy is believed to be caused by interference in the cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme system, which results in a marked increase in reductase activity. Cerivastatin, a new synthetic HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, is a safe, well-tolerated effective drug for the treatment of patients with dyslipidemia. The drug is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 3A4 and cytochrome P450 2C8 hepatic isoenzymes. Because of this dual metabolic pathway, it has been suggested that cerivastatin is less subject to drug-todrug interactions. We describe a 60-year-old woman with rhabdomyolysis and localized myositis, after she had taken cerivastatin(lipobay, 0.3 mg/day) and gemfibrozil(lopid, 500 mg/day) for 1month.
Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; Dyslipidemias ; Female ; Gemfibrozil ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Isoenzymes ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways ; Middle Aged ; Muscular Diseases ; Myositis ; Oxidoreductases ; Rhabdomyolysis*

PURPOSE: Fever is the single most common problem in children visiting the emergency department. Fever is treated with a variety of methods, including the recommended combination of tepid massage, and antipyretics. We compared the effects of antipyretics and tepid massage for the management of febrile children. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled study to assess 49 children who visited to the ED, Kyung Hee Medical Center, with complaints of fever. Ages ranged from 3 to 60 months. Patients were grouped into one of the following three treatment groups: 1) acetaminophen only, 2) tepid massage only, and 3) acetaminophen and tepid massage. We measured body temperature at 0 and 30 minutes after management. RESULTS: The mean temperature at 30 minutes had decreased by initial temperature 0.58degrees C, 0.48degrees C, and 0.90degrees C for groups 1), 2), and 3), respectively. Although body temperature for group 3) decreased to a greater degree than it did in the other groups, the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Although tepid massage have been recommended for managing fever, their effect is still uncertain, so they are not recommended, especially in the cases of crowded emergency rooms.
Acetaminophen ; Antipyretics* ; Body Temperature ; Child ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Fever* ; Humans ; Massage* ; Prospective Studies

Pneumocephalus is defined as "the presence of air or gas within the cranial cavity." Intracranial air may represent an incidental finding of no clinical significance or more aggressive, life-threatening disease. It is usually associated with head trauma and surgery, tumor, brain abscess, postradiation necrosis, or diagnostic procedures. In the absence of head trauma or surgery, meningitis due to gas-forming organisms is an extremely rare cause of pneumocephalus. We report an unusual case of a localized spontaneous pneumocephalus caused by pneumococcal meningitis in the absence of head trauma, surgery, and brain abscess.
Abscess ; Brain Abscess ; Brain Neoplasms ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Incidental Findings ; Meningitis ; Meningitis, Pneumococcal* ; Necrosis ; Pneumocephalus* ; Streptococcus pneumoniae

Although thrombolytic therapy is one of the most effective therapeutic option for acute ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic complication still remains major concern about its application. A patient with hemoperitoneum, who previously underwent thrombolytic therapy(intraarterial urokinase infusion, IAUK) for acute ischemic stroke was treated successfully with emergency transarterial embolization for rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma. We present a rare case of rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma after intraarterial urokinase infusion for acute ischemic stroke with brief review of the literature.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Emergencies ; Hemoperitoneum* ; Humans ; Rupture ; Stroke* ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator*

Superior gluteal artery rupture without pelvic fracture is extremely rare, but the rupture of this vessel is a well-known complication of pelvic fractures. This vessel appears to be at risk at the time of pelvic fracture because of its vulnerable anatomical position in the sacrosciatic notch. The rupture of this vessel causes profound hypotension and compartment syndrome of the gluteal or thigh region. Embolization is the most effective treatment. We report an unusual case of a superior gluteal artery rupture without pelvic fracture in blunt trauma.
Arteries* ; Compartment Syndromes ; Hypotension ; Hypovolemia* ; Rupture* ; Shock* ; Thigh

Eosinophils are only a small minority of peripheral blood leucocytes and, in normal subjects, most are found in the tissues of the lung and gastrointestinal tract. Peripheral blood eosinophilia is occurred by various causes, allergic diseases, parasite infection, clonal disorder, and drug. Moderate to severe eosinophilia may be caused by the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), but the commonest cause of eosinophilia worldwide is helminthic infection and, in industrialized nations, atopic disease. Whatever the cause for the eosinophilia, in certain circumstances the eosinophils produce damage to various organs by activation of eosinophils, thrombotic events, release of eosinophil granule contents, and deposition of eosinophil proteins. Clinical manifestations are characterized by thromboembolic events of the involved organ, such as the heart, lungs, or nervous system. To our knowledge, the association between hypereosinophilia and intraabdominal multivessel (portal, splenic and superior mesenteric vein) thrombosis has never previously been reported. Thus, we report a case with portal, splenic and superior mesenteric venous thrombosis simultaneously with disseminated intravascular coagulapathy in the patient with hypereosinophilia.
Developed Countries ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Heart ; Helminths ; Humans ; Hypereosinophilic Syndrome ; Lung ; Mesenteric Veins* ; Necrosis* ; Nervous System ; Parasites ; Portal Vein* ; Splenic Vein* ; Thrombosis* ; Venous Thrombosis