EM Cases - Dr. King

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura:
- Can be hereditary or acquired.  Acquired forms can be found as a result of a multitude of disease states.
- Patients will more often present with vague symptoms including confusion/AMS rather than focal neurologic deficits attributable to a specific vascular distribution.
- Treatment to consider initiating in the ED includes steroids and FFP however be wary of volume in patients with underlying cardiac disease.
- VasCath can be placed in ED depending on provider comfort.
- Plasma exchange has decreased mortality from 85-95% to 10-20%.


Third Degree Heart Block:
-  Most often seen in elderly patients due to progressive fibrosis and calcification of conduction system and surrounding tissue, but can certainly be a complication of AMI.
- Particularly for your elderly patients, be wary of medication side effects.
- Atropine is always worth a try.  Just realize more often than not it won't help you.
- Hypotension?  Altered mental status?  Distress?  PACE THE PATIENT!
- Take the time to review initiation of transvenous pacing.  Like the infamous ED thoracotomy or  cricothyroidotomy, its a procedure we should know like the back of our hands.


Final Pearl:  if you're going to order an imaging study, look at the WHOLE image.

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