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em@3am

EM@3AM: Cushing’s Syndrome

A 60-year-old female with diabetes and hypertension from skilled nursing facility presents with worsening mental status, shortness of breath, and muscle weakness. Vital signs include BP 175/100, HR 105, RR 22, SpO2 95% on room air, T 100.7F, and blood glucose of 275. Physical exam is remarkable for A&Ox2, obesity, striae, bilateral upper/lower extremity muscle weakness, and 2+ bilateral lower extremity edema. CMP/CBC is unremarkable, BNP is 250, and EKG shows low voltage. Outpatient random serum cortisol is 2700 nmol/L. What is the diagnosis, and urgent interventions will reduce the patient’s morbidity/mortality?

em@3am

EM@3AM: Pheochromocytoma

A 23-year-old male presents with recurrent episodes of global headache, flushing, sweating, and palpitations. These episodes first started 1 month ago. They occur several times per day and last less than one hour. He has also noted a 10-pound weight loss since these episodes started. Exam reveals blood pressure 183/108 mm Hg, HR 1114 beats per minute, RR 18, temperature 98.4 C, saturation 98% on room air. His skin is flushed. Your cardiovascular, pulmonary, abdominal, and motor and sensory exams are otherwise normal. What is the likely diagnosis?

R.E.B.E.L. EM

R.E.B.E.L. EM – Mythbuster: Glucose Levels Must be Below a “Safe” Threshold Before Discharge

Anyone who works in the Emergency Department has seen patients brought in by EMS or sent from the clinic with a chief complaint of “high blood sugar.” Now, we are not talking about patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, but just simple hyperglycemia. This is a common complaint with no real consensus on optimal blood glucose levels before safe discharge.

CORE EM

CORE EM: Adrenal Crisis

Adrenal insufficiency is a life-threatening emergency - learn to recognize it early and treat aggressively! Check out this amazing post via CORE EM!