Background: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their ease of insertion through upper extremity veins, although they are not complications-free. PICCs can be irritating and cause endothelial injury and inflammation resulting in venous thrombosis. Estimates suggest that more than a third of all deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the upper […]

Background: Multiple factors can lead to overuse of diagnostic imaging for venous thromboembolism (VTE). These include fear of missing a potentially fatal diagnosis, low predictive accuracy of clinical gestalt, prediction rules, and risk assessment models for VTE, and increased access to imaging. Diagnostic imaging for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) with doppler ultrasonography, or for pulmonary […]

Case Presentation: A 63-year-old woman was initially admitted for sore throat and dysphagia. At that time, workup revealed right parapharyngeal cellulitis, and she completed a 10-day course of levofloxacin. One month after discharge, the patient presented with a bilateral frontotemporal headache, blurred vision OS, and right otalgia for 2 days. Physical exam was remarkable for […]

Case Presentation: A 32 year old male presented to the emergency department unresponsive. Three months prior he had developed urinary incontinence, cognitive impairments, paresthesias in his extremities and weakness requiring crutches. His symptoms progressed leaving him bed bound weeks prior to arrival. EMS was contacted when he became unresponsive to verbal-noxious stimuli and exhibited difficulty […]