Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) and atrial fibrillation (AF) may coexist. The association and impact of AF on PE have not been well studied. Methods: We queried the 2018 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to identify PE and AF hospitalizations using appropriate ICD-10 codes. PE with AF group was compared to PE without AF. Chi-square test […]

Background: D-dimer is one of the most commonly used tests because of its high sensitivity, but a high false positive rate prevents healthcare providers from efficiently diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE). This leads to many patients unnecessarily undergoing CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) scans in the emergency department (ED). This study sought to determine if there is […]

Case Presentation: A 47-year-old female with no significant medical history, however, a strong family history of venous thromboembolism presented to the hospital after a witnessed episode of syncope. On presentation she was hemodynamically stable, saturating well on room air and in no active distress. Initial workup revealed elevation of troponin, BNP, and d-dimer. Electrocardiogram showed […]

Case Presentation: A 50-year-old man with known liver cirrhosis secondary to schistosomiasis transferred to our facility for the management of large gastric fundus varices seen on CT abdomen and pelvis. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed grade I esophageal varices and isolated large gastric fundal varix without bleeding and signs of portal hypertensive gastropathy. Patient was not deemed […]

Case Presentation: A 64-year-old woman with a past medical history of hypertension presented with a sudden onset of slurred speech, right gaze preference, and left-sided body weakness while at a hair salon. In the Emergency Department, she was afebrile, blood pressure 110/70 mmHg, and heart rate 105 beats per minute. CT head without contrast revealed […]

Case Presentation: A 53-year-old male with a past medical history of alcohol abuse presented to the emergency department after a presyncopal episode following new onset of hematemesis and black, tarry stools. He additionally had sharp, bilateral chest pain that was present at rest with no radiation or worsening with exertion. Upon presentation he was hypotensive, […]

Case Presentation: A 59-year-old male with a past medical history remarkable for obesity, asthma, and anxiety sought medical attention for the chief complaint of dyspnea for approximately 10 days. Computed tomography with angiogram of the thorax on admission was negative for any pulmonary emboli, but did demonstrate central and peripheral ground glass opacities throughout both […]