Background: Donor blood transfusion has been a frequently used treatment modality for a wide variety of clinical situations in hospitalized patients for decades. Despite it being one of the most commonly performed medical procedures, with 15 million units of red blood cells transfused every year in the United States, its proof of safety and efficacy […]

Background: We have presented our experience with a novel percutaneous approach for axillary artery implant of intra-aortic balloon pumps. The axillary approach permits up-right posture and ambulation, but such enhanced mobility may predispose to higher risk of IABP malposition with unique complications. We present a few complications here. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of […]

Case Presentation: A 77-year-old female with a history of hypertension and diabetes, presented to the ER with sudden syncope. She reported severe retrosternal chest pain, associated with nausea and vomiting. She stated she has been under extreme emotional stress due to sudden death of a family member. Examination was remarkable for hypotension (70/40 mmhg), cold […]

Case Presentation: A 71 year-old man presented with two months of progressive decline in mental status and jaundice. He had a history of liver transplant eight years prior due to alcoholic cirrhosis. His family states he had continued abuse alcohol after his transplant; however he quit two months prior. He has had increasing confusion, yellowing […]

Case Presentation: Use of synthetic illicit drugs, including marijuana, is on the rise. Commonly these drugs are laced with additives, many of which can have severe hematologic effects, to enhance the drugs’ euphoric effects. Here we describe a case of spontaneous hemorrhage after ingestion of marijuana laced with brodifacoum. A 25-year-old male presented with bilateral […]

Case Presentation: 81 year-old man with a history of atrial fibrillation on Warfarin and bioprosthetic aortic and mitral valves presented with dark urine and shortness of breath. He described progressive shortness of breath and reduced exercise tolerance, unable to walk upstairs to his apartment. His urine had become “the color of eggplant”. On exam, he […]

Case Presentation: A 12-year-old boy presents with 8 days of chest pain. He describes the pain as sudden onset, stabbing, located over his left chest with radiation to his right chest and left flank. The pain initially lasts between 5 to 10 minutes, but has been increasing in duration to span the entire day. The […]

Case Presentation: 1 year old otherwise healthy twins present to the ED after Twin A became acutely unresponsive. The twins had been ill with a GI virus with fever, vomiting, and decreased activity for a week. The night of presentation, Twin A started vomiting, developed perioral cyanosis, and became unresponsive. On arrival to the ED, […]