Lipid rescue therapy can cause lab errors
3 out of 5 stars
Caution with interpreting laboratory results after lipid rescue therapy. Punja M et al. Am J Emerg Med 2013 Aug 8 [Epub ahead of print]
No abstract available
This short case report from Emory University and the Georgia Poison Center makes the point that administering lipid rescue therapy (LRT) may affect laboratory results in ways that may be unanticipated. In the case, a 54-year-old man who ingested a mixed overdose of diphenhydramine, amitriptyline and acetaminophen. His initial aspartate aminotransferase level (measured on a Siemens Vista 1500 analyzer) was 138 U/L. After 20% IV lipids were given, a re...
Source: The Poison Review - August 22, 2013 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical aspartate aminogransferase AST erroneous lab values laboratory error lipid rescue therapy Source Type: news
Sending your kid to college? Think about their health too.
For families that are sending their teens to college this fall, summer is full of anticipation and planning. There’s so much to buy and pack and think about that sometimes parents forget to think about something really important: their health.
As parents, we are in charge of our child’s health—their diet, their exercise, their medications and what happens when they get sick. But when teens leave home, we need to be sure they can handle these things, and make good decisions, by themselves. Not that we can’t help out. I get lots of phone calls from my college-aged kids about health stuff, but it’s different when ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - July 25, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Claire McCarthy Tags: Claire McCarthy, MD Health & wellness Parenting Source Type: news
Official report about overdose patient who awoke in OR just before surgeons harvested her organs
Several days ago TPR posted about a distressing case from Syracuse (NY), in which an overdose patient woke up in the operating room just as surgeons were about to harvest her organs. There were some details in the Syracuse Post-Standard story. An astute reader sent a comment pointing out that the report investigating this case — produced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — noted that the patient was on baclofen (in addition to Xanax and diphenhydramine.
Baclofen is notorious for producing prolonged coma and a clinical syndrome indistinguishable from brain death in overdose. Papers by Sullivan et ...
Source: The Poison Review - July 11, 2013 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Best of TPR Medical baclofen brain death organ donation Source Type: news
Hospital fined after overdose patient awakes just before surgeons harvest her organs
The Syracuse (NY) Post-Standard reports that St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center has been fined $22,000 for a 2009 incident in which a patient declared brain dead and cleared for organ donation woke up in the operating room just before the harvesting procedure was to begin.
According to the report, the 41-year-old patient was brought to the emergency department comatose. Although staff at the hospital thought she had suffered a cardiac catastrophe, she was actually suffering from effects of an intentional overdose of drugs including Xanax, diphenhydramine, and a muscle relaxant. It is not clear from the newspaper r...
Source: The Poison Review - July 8, 2013 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical drug overdose organ donation Source Type: news
Why Does My Nose Run - And Other Common Allergy Questions
Allergies got you down? Wondering how to get relief? Namrata Shidhaye, MD, a family physician at Duke Primary Care Waverly Place, helps sort out the causes and cures for your annoying runny nose.
The older I get, the more my nose runs. Can you develop seasonal allergies as an adult that you didn’t have as a child?
Yes, adults can develop environmental allergies at any age. Asthma can develop during adulthood as well. A runny nose isn’t always a sign of allergies, though. Older individuals may experience runny nose due to age-related physical changes—some people, as they age, develop overactive tear ducts and nasal ...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - April 11, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Primary Care Source Type: news
Diphenhydramine Poisoning Calls Are Up, Especially in ChildrenDiphenhydramine Poisoning Calls Are Up, Especially in Children
Calls to poison centers regarding diphenhydramine (DPH) are increasing, especially calls involving children under six, according to results of a new study. Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - April 2, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pediatrics News Source Type: news
