Rash

 HAP28 - rash - only really covers erythroderma! 

Erythroderma is skin redness over lots of the body. It could be caused by anything but is really itchy. You need emollients, consider steroids and discuss with dermatology. 

Idiopathic erythroderma is is sometimes called 'the red man syndrome'.

✓Generalized erythema and edema affects 90% or more of the skin surface.
✓Warm and itchy skin noted
✓Eyelid swelling may result in ectropion.
✓scaling begins 2 to 6 days after onset of a erythema. pic.twitter.com/QgzwUr4skB

— ERresidentsquad (@Erresidentsquad) January 5, 2021

Psoriatic erythroderma

Most common cause of erythroderma is exacerbation of an underlying skin disease, such as psoriasis, contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, lichen planus, pityriasis rubra pilaris, HIV or a drug reaction, such as the use of topical steroids.#FOAMed pic.twitter.com/4HgzxcC00w

— ERresidentsquad (@Erresidentsquad) January 5, 2021

https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/a-spot-diagnosis/ https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/psor-throat/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/tired-purple-legs/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/foamed/meningitis/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/dermatological-examination/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/simply-red-rash-decisions-in-resus/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/foamed/7-pem-rashes/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/a-minor-rash-but-with-titanic-implications/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/living-a-rash-hand-to-mouth-existence/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/crash-and-burn/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/reference/common-childhood-exanthems/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/a-spotty-boy/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/a-spot-diagnosis/ https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/feeling-hot-hot-hot/ https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/a-spotty-boy/
http://www.pcds.org.uk/clinical-guidance/erythroderma
https://www.rcgp.org.uk/dermatologytoolkit

Major Incident

 These guidelines from NHS England are excellent and cover triage, METHANE, blast injury and more. They say everything you need to know in one document - read them. 

End of Post

Portal Vein Thrombosis

 Portal vein problems might be caused by portal hypertension - cirrhosis, malignancy or hypercoagulable - prothrombotic conditions, malignancy, oral contraceptive pill, pregnancy, trauma. 

Portal vein thrombosis may present with many things including abdominal pain, nausea and fever, variceal bleeding, and encephalopathy - or be completely asymptomatic.  

Treatment includes observation, anticoagulation, thrombectomy and shunts. Need to prevent thrombus extension and mesenteric ischaemia. May present as an acute ischaemic bowel. 

References
https://www.gpnotebook.com/simplepage.cfm?ID=-1214644198&linkID=27047&cook=no
https://radiopaedia.org/articles/portal-vein-thrombosis?lang=gb
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4353656/
https://wikem.org/wiki/Portal_vein_thrombosis
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1358863X15611224

Renal Vein Thrombosis

 

Renal vein thrombosis in adults is normally triggered by infection (glomerulonephritis, renal sepsis), amyloidosis, SLE, diabetes, urinary obstruction, tumour thrombus. 

The passive congestion causes the kidney to swell and become engorged and nephrons degenerate causing flank pain, haematuria and decreased urine output. 

Treat by treating cause, and anticoagulation therapy. 

References
https://radiopaedia.org/articles/renal-vein-thrombosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30725656/

Brucellosis

 

Mostly from non UK sources, with incubation 5-30 days, but maybe up to 6 months. Comes from unpasteurised dairy products - eating or inhaling airborne components. Take a thorough travel history. 
Previously called Maltese fever. 

Presentation
May be asymptomatic. 
Fever (74%)  may wax and wane
Constitutional  (26%) - fever, malaise, weakness, fatigue, headache, dizziness, myalgia, arthralgia and night sweats. 
Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly (33%)
Maloderous perspiration - almost pathognomic
Peripheral neuropathy, pleural effusions, pneumonia and endocarditis can also be present.

Rarely prostatitis or sacroillitis, epididymo-orchitis, pneumonia, hepatitis, endocarditis, uveitis, dermatitis and meningitis. 

Diagnosis
Blood culture in 20-80%
Serology, PCR testing
Leucocytopenia, lymphocytosis, thrombocytopenia or anaemia 

Treatment
Gentamycin for 7 days + doxycycline
Rifampin + doxy
Cipro + doxy

References
https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140714100821/http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733811188  
http://southlondonem.blogspot.com/2014/07/fever-in-returning-traveller.html 

http://klossandbruce.com/graphic-guide-to-infectious-disease/ 
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/brucellosis 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brucellosis 

Pain

Pain management is something we're really bad at doing, and even worse at documenting!

Assessment
Use a pain scale, or a pain ruler

Remember that pain has an emotional as well as physical component. When you catch your thumb in a door you shake it and look at it. If it does not bleed too much but still wiggles and the pain goes quickly, then that is mostly "red" - physical. However the longer a pain lasts the more the emotional component becomes part of the problem.

The emotional component is made up of three aspects. There is anxiety and worry and typically we worry about two things. We worry about the "meaning" of the pain, why is it there, what is causing it, what is going on. Then we worry about the future and how the pain will affect us and our lives and our work and relationships.

Pain also makes us unhappy, although not necessarily depressed. This typically occurs in three ways. It affects us directly to make us miserable. It commands our attention, both consciously and subconsciously so we are listening for the pain thus hearing it louder and more often. Finally it isolates us socially.

The final aspect of the emotional component is the frustration that accompanies it. We become frustrated that it does not go away, that promised cures do not work, and that that life gets worse.

Thus, the physical component can be viewed as the transmission of the message up to the brain and the emotional component can be viewed as the unpleasantness experienced. Of course the degree of disability and the behavioural changes are subsequent phenomena.

Physiology
Pain is felt, and travels up the spinothalamic tract to the thalamus.

Treatment
Use WHO analgesic ladder
Combining two weak opioids isn't considered good practice.

References
https://www.frca.co.uk/article.aspx?articleid=100118
https://www.frca.co.uk/SectionContents.aspx?sectionid=148
https://www.paintoolkit.org/
https://www.change-pain.co.uk/
https://www.bscah.com/

Treatment
Use the WHO analgesic ladder

Hypothermia

Awake and Conscious Patient 
Assess symptoms:

With the temperature dropping recently I thought it might be a good time to retweet the first infographic from my #infographic challenge. Hypothermia, the correlation of core temperature and physiological changes. I hope it's useful. More at https://t.co/Bvm7MMLro2 #FOAMed pic.twitter.com/udjKgDuPlE

— Strata5 (@Nrtaylor101) November 20, 2019

Investigations:
Put the temperature on the gas machine
Look for J waves (osborn). The upward deflection of the terminal S wave (at the junction of the QRS and the ST segment) occurs at or near 32 C. It is first seen in leads II and V6.

Treatment:
Rewarming - consider bypass in cardiac arrest, haemodynamic instability and a core temperature below 32°C, frozen extremities and rhabdomyolysis with hyperkalaemia.
Treat electrolyte disturbances - being careful of hypokalaemia as potassium will increase with re-warming
Remember coagulopathy is common
Haemocrit will rise.

Frostnip
Frostbite
Treat with 40 degrees water, aspirin

In cardiac arrest 
Don't give up too soon. Watch this great youtube video. It's true!

Further Reading 
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/reference/hypothermia/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/severe-hypothermia/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/hypothermia-and-frostbite/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/modules/a-systematic-review-of-therapeutic-hypothermia-for-non-shockable-cardiac-arrest/
https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/foamed/emergency-casebook-its-cold-outside/
https://theresusroom.co.uk/hypothermia-2/
https://theresusroom.co.uk/hypothermia/