Brown Sound: Ultrasound Diagnosis of Ectopic Pregnancy

A 36 year-old female presented with the acute onset of abdominal pain and sweating. She had taken multiple home pregnancy tests, all of which were positive, and then experienced a bout of severe dizziness. On physical exam, she was very pale, and had a flat, but tender abdomen. Soon after arrival, the patient became unresponsive, but was still breathing with rapid pulses. She was placed in reverse trendelenburg, and multiple attempts were made to get an automated blood pressure reading with no luck. Finally, a manual blood pressure of 70/58 was obtained. Fluid resuscitation was initiated and bedside ultrasound was performed…

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The High Coast of Smoking: An Interesting Case of Pancoast Syndrome

A 52 year-old male presented to the emergency department with a chief complaint of right shoulder pain. In fact, the patient endorsed several years of shoulder pain, which he attributed to being right hand dominant, and the physical demands of his work as a contractor. One month prior to his presentation, the patient had also seen an orthopedic surgeon, who diagnosed him with a paralabral cyst, and subsequently drained it. After the procedure, the patient’s pain improved, but the effect was short lived…

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Pediatric Strangulation

Strangulation injuries are defined as any injury that results from a compressive force to the neck, leading to vascular and airway occlusion. Such forces might include hanging or strangulation (postural, ligature, or manual). Strangulation is implicated in 10% of violent deaths in the United States, while hanging is the second most common form of death by suicide…

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