The Case A Previously well 29 year old male awoke at 0630hrs unable to move his torso or limbs. His initial complete paralysis had lessened somewhat after 2 hrs and he had managed to reach the phone and call for help. When the ambulance service arrived and forced entry he was found on his bed…
Hyponatremia is a common electrolyte abnormality. It can be acute or chronic. It can occur in isolation or as part of other disease processes. Diagnosing its cause can be challenging in the Emergency Department and there may be some confusion over how to initially manage these patients. Let’s clear up that confusion, with a simple…
CEREBRAL OEDEMA: DO WE REALLY KNOW THE CAUSE? We recently had a child with (diabetic ketoacidosis)DKA in our department and the subject of fluid resuscitation came up. Also the Queensland Government guidelines on the Emergency Management of children with DKA has recently been produced. I thought it was timely to revisit a blog I wrote…
Cerebral oedema is the most feared complication in children presenting with Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). It occurs in about 1% of cases but has a mortality rate of up to 90% (Waldorf J et al Diabetes Care 2006; 29:1150-9). Patients will have a decreased conscious state and may also have cranial nerve palsies, headache and/or bradycardia…
Some people have asked me to present an old case I put up at the “Airway, CPR and Trauma” workshop. This is a case I saw as a registrar, simple and effective for teaching. A 56 year old woman presents after midnight to the ED. She says that she is having an anxiety attack, brought on…
