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Sivadasan A, Cortel-LeBlanc MA, Cortel-LeBlanc A, Katzberg H. Peripheral nervous system and neuromuscular disorders in the emergency department: A review. Acad Emerg Med 2024; 31:386-397. [PMID: 38419365 DOI: 10.1111/acem.14861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Acute presentations and emergencies in neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) often challenge clinical acumen. The objective of this review is to refine the reader's approach to history taking, clinical localization and early diagnosis, as well as emergency management of neuromuscular emergencies. METHODS An extensive literature search was performed to identify relevant studies. We prioritized meta-analysis, systematic reviews, and position statements where possible to inform any recommendations. SUMMARY The spectrum of clinical presentations and etiologies ranges from neurotoxic envenomation or infection to autoimmune disease such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and myasthenia gravis (MG). Delayed diagnosis is not uncommon when presentations occur "de novo," respiratory failure is dominant or isolated, or in the case of atypical scenarios such as GBS variants, severe autonomic dysfunction, or rhabdomyolysis. Diseases of the central nervous system, systemic and musculoskeletal disorders can mimic presentations in neuromuscular disorders. CONCLUSIONS Fortunately, early diagnosis and management can improve prognosis. This article provides a comprehensive review of acute presentations in neuromuscular disorders relevant for the emergency physician.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajith Sivadasan
- Ellen & Martin Prosserman Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miguel A Cortel-LeBlanc
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Queensway Carleton Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Institut du Savoir Montfort, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- 360 Concussion Care, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Achelle Cortel-LeBlanc
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Institut du Savoir Montfort, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- 360 Concussion Care, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Queensway Carleton Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hans Katzberg
- Ellen & Martin Prosserman Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Matar AJ, Magliocca JF, Kitchens WH. Successful Liver Transplantation from a Deceased Donor After Ethylene Glycol Ingestion: A Case Report and Review of the Literature of Organ Donation from Poisoned Donors. Transplant Proc 2022; 54:128-134. [PMID: 34972567 DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2021.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Despite the increase in deceased organ donation over the past ten years, the gap between patients awaiting transplant and available organs continues to widen. Deceased donors secondary to acute fatal poisonings represent less than 1% of all organ donors. Organs from poisoned donors have largely been discarded due to concerns of toxin transmission and poor organ function as well as the paucity of data that exists regarding this donor population. Here, we report a case of a 40-year-old male who underwent successful liver re-transplantation from a donor who died following ethylene glycol ingestion. To our knowledge this case report is the first to describe successful re-transplantation from an ethylene glycol-poisoned donor. We also provide a comprehensive review of the literature describing organ donation from poisoned donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham J Matar
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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ALfaifi MS, ALOtaibi AE, AlQahtani SA, ALShahrani OA, ALSharani KM, ALbshabshi AO, ALZahrani HM, ALAli HE. Cobra snakebite mimicking brain death treated with a novel combination of polyvalent snake antivenom and anticholinesterase. Am J Emerg Med 2020; 38:2490.e5-2490.e7. [PMID: 32712238 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.05.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In toxicology literature, snake bites were the second toxicology-relevant cause mimicking brain death. A 57-year-old woman with history of cobra snake bite. On examination, the brain stem reflexes were absent with Glasgow coma score of 3. The patient accomplished full neurological recovery after using a novel combination of Polyvalent Snake Antivenom (PSA) and anticholinesterases. This case highlights a unique presentation of cobra bite induced brain death mimicking. Thus, intensivist should exclude neuroparalytic effect of snakebite before considering withdrawal of ventilatory support or organ donation. Also, the life-threatening presentation of cobra envenomation mandates the use of higher doses of PSA to reverse the neuroparalytic toxicity. We should consider the rule of anticholinesterase as an adjunctive therapy to PSA in severe cobra envenomation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Musa S ALfaifi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Atheer E ALOtaibi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saeed A AlQahtani
- Emergency Medicine Department and Clinical Toxicology Division, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ohood A ALShahrani
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid M ALSharani
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali O ALbshabshi
- Department of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Hadi E ALAli
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Armed forces hospital southern region, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia
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Toxicologic Confounders of Brain Death Determination: A Narrative Review. Neurocrit Care 2020; 34:1072-1089. [PMID: 33000377 PMCID: PMC7526708 DOI: 10.1007/s12028-020-01114-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this narrative review is to describe the toxicologic confounders of brain death currently reported in the literature to offer guidance for physicians assessing brain death after a toxic exposure. We established an a priori definition of a “brain death mimic” as an unresponsive, intubated patient missing some, but not all brainstem reflexes. We completed a review of the literature utilizing MEDLINE and EMBASE to find case reports of patients of all ages in English, French, and Spanish meeting the criteria and hand searched the references of the results. We recorded xenobiotic dose, duration of physical exam suggesting brain death, and how the cases failed to meet full brain death criteria, when available. Fifty-six cases representing 19 different substances met the a priori definition of brain death mimic. Xenobiotic toxicities included: snake envenomation (13), baclofen (11), tricyclic antidepressants (8), bupropion (7), alcohols (4), antiepileptic agents (3), barbiturates (2), antidysrhythmics (2), organophosphates (2), and one case each of magnesium, succinylcholine, tetrodotoxin, and zolpidem. All patients except one survived to discharge and the majority at their baseline physical health. The most common means by which the cases failed brain death examination prerequisites was via normal neuroimaging. The xenobiotics in this review should be considered in cases of poisoning resulting in loss of brainstem reflexes and addressed before brain death determination. Brain death diagnosis should not be pursued in the setting of normal cerebral imaging or incomplete evaluation of brain death prerequisites.
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Mojtabaee M, Ghorbani F, Nikeghbalian S, Fischer-Fröhlich CL, Sadegh-Beigee F. Liver Procurement from Poisoned Donors: A Survival Study. EXP CLIN TRANSPLANT 2019; 18:334-338. [PMID: 31104626 DOI: 10.6002/ect.2018.0339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Although transplant teams understand the effects of donor characteristics on liver transplant outcomes, few studies have investigated the quality of livers obtained from poisoned donors. The aim of this study was to compare livers procured from poisoned donors with a matched control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS Liver transplant outcomes from poisoned donors and from donors with trauma-induced death (as the control group) were compared using data of an Organ Procurement Unit from 2000 to 2013. Procured livers were evaluated via histology findings before transplant. Recipient characteristics were assessed in both groups, and immediate and medium-term (up to 5 years after transplant) survival rates were compared with the use of Kaplan-Meier analyses and log-rank tests. RESULTS Over a 13-year organ donation program, 1485 livers from brain dead patients were donated. Among them, 115 poisoned donors were evaluated for liver grafts; of these, 74 successful liver transplants were performed. In the poisoned donors, the incidence of reversed cardiac arrest was 54.1%. Likewise, acute kidney injury was detected in 14.9% of the patients, and 16.2% needed urgent dialysis either for clearance of the toxic agents or for treatment of acute kidney injury. No significant differences were observed in 1- to 5-year survival rates, and log-rank test also showed a significance level of 0.83. CONCLUSIONS Proper case selection strategies can be implemented to expand the donor pool, including use of poisoned donors. Hence, poisoning is not a contra-indication for a referral, which could lead to decreased mortality for patients requiring a liver transplant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meysam Mojtabaee
- From the Organ Procurement Unit, Lung Transplantation Research Center (LTRC), National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU), Tehran, Iran
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Antivenom for Neuromuscular Paralysis Resulting From Snake Envenoming. Toxins (Basel) 2017; 9:toxins9040143. [PMID: 28422078 PMCID: PMC5408217 DOI: 10.3390/toxins9040143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Antivenom therapy is currently the standard practice for treating neuromuscular dysfunction in snake envenoming. We reviewed the clinical and experimental evidence-base for the efficacy and effectiveness of antivenom in snakebite neurotoxicity. The main site of snake neurotoxins is the neuromuscular junction, and the majority are either: (1) pre-synaptic neurotoxins irreversibly damaging the presynaptic terminal; or (2) post-synaptic neurotoxins that bind to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Pre-clinical tests of antivenom efficacy for neurotoxicity include rodent lethality tests, which are problematic, and in vitro pharmacological tests such as nerve-muscle preparation studies, that appear to provide more clinically meaningful information. We searched MEDLINE (from 1946) and EMBASE (from 1947) until March 2017 for clinical studies. The search yielded no randomised placebo-controlled trials of antivenom for neuromuscular dysfunction. There were several randomised and non-randomised comparative trials that compared two or more doses of the same or different antivenom, and numerous cohort studies and case reports. The majority of studies available had deficiencies including poor case definition, poor study design, small sample size or no objective measures of paralysis. A number of studies demonstrated the efficacy of antivenom in human envenoming by clearing circulating venom. Studies of snakes with primarily pre-synaptic neurotoxins, such as kraits (Bungarus spp.) and taipans (Oxyuranus spp.) suggest that antivenom does not reverse established neurotoxicity, but early administration may be associated with decreased severity or prevent neurotoxicity. Small studies of snakes with mainly post-synaptic neurotoxins, including some cobra species (Naja spp.), provide preliminary evidence that neurotoxicity may be reversed with antivenom, but placebo controlled studies with objective outcome measures are required to confirm this.
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Neavyn MJ, Stolbach A, Greer DM, Nelson LS, Smith SW, Brent J, Tormoehlen LM. ACMT Position Statement: Determining Brain Death in Adults After Drug Overdose. J Med Toxicol 2017; 13:271-273. [PMID: 28255927 DOI: 10.1007/s13181-017-0606-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Neavyn
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | | | - David M Greer
- Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lewis S Nelson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Medical Toxicology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Silas W Smith
- Department of Emergency Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeffrey Brent
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Laura M Tormoehlen
- Departments of Neurology and Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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Abstract
Because coma has many causes, physicians must develop a structured, algorithmic approach to diagnose and treat reversible causes rapidly. The three main mechanisms of coma are structural brain lesions, diffuse neuronal dysfunction, and, rarely, psychiatric causes. The first priority is to stabilise the patient by treatment of life-threatening conditions, then to use the history, physical examination, and laboratory findings to identify structural causes and diagnose treatable disorders. Some patients have a clear diagnosis. In those who do not, the first decision is whether brain imaging is needed. Imaging should be done in post-traumatic coma or when structural brain lesions are probable or possible causes. Patients who do not undergo imaging should be reassessed regularly. If CT is non-diagnostic, a checklist should be used use to indicate whether advanced imaging is needed or evidence is present of a treatable poisoning or infection, seizures including non-convulsive status epilepticus, endocrinopathy, or thiamine deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan A Edlow
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | | | - Stephen J Traub
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
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Senthilkumaran S, Balamurugan N, Menezes RG, Thirumalaikolundusubramanian P. Snake bite and brain death—cause for caution? Am J Emerg Med 2013; 31:625-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2012.11.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2012] [Accepted: 11/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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