A Cook County Hospital Emergency Medicine Blog for up-to-date medicine and more.
Hypertension is one of the few complaints we see where the treatment can involve treatment with counseling to aggressive blood pressure control with close ICU monitoring. Here, future EM physician Dr. Davis discusses when and how to treat hypertension and its associated emergencies.
Christopher Davis, MS4
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Figure 1. Index ekg obtained from triage in the CCH emergency department.
The Case:
49-year-old female with a past medical history of anxiety presenting with central sternal chest pressure, which she describes as sharp that started 3 hours prior to arrival. The pain is non-radiating and not associated with exertion, emesis, or diaphoresis, but she does feel like she is going to pass out. She says when she has had panic attacks before, she had chest pain. Vitals were BP 124/72 mmHg, HR 59 bpm, RR 18 bpm, and Spo2 98% on RA.
Alejandro Negrete, MD
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Image Source: https://transformpeds.childrensmercy.org/food-insecurity-screening-in-the-allergy-specialty/
Food insecurity has many implications for patients, including associations with frequent ED use, foregoing medication to afford food, and worsening control of chronic medical conditions. Screening for food insecurity is a potential tool for EPs to utilize to improve patient outcomes, assist in adherence to treatment plans, and reduce ED utilization.
Michael Hohl, MD and Rashid Kysia, MD
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