Acute Severe Thigh Pain While Running
Urgent message: Summer brings increased participation in outdoor activities and sports in which patients are likely to sustain injury. Patients with thigh injuries, such as injury to the quadriceps and patellar tendon, may present to the urgent care center. Timely diagnosis is essential in preserving strength and function of the quadriceps complex. TRACEY QUAIL DAVIDOFF, MD Patients who run and jump are at risk for injuring their quadriceps complex. These activities are common in the …
Read MoreJune 2015
Pediatric Periorbital Cellulitis from an Intranasal Button Battery
Urgent message: When a child presents with periorbital cellulitis with no obvious cause, checking for intranasal foreign body, such as a button battery, is of paramount importance. Serious complications can be avoided if the foreign body is removed in a timely manner. MAY MOHTY, MD, FAAP, FAAUCM, and JACOB ANDERSON, DO Preseptal cellulitis, also known as periorbital cellulitis, is a relatively common diagnosis in the pediatric population. It is defined as infection of the space …
Read MoreEpiploic Appendagitis
Urgent message: Because pain in the lower abdomen is a symptom that can indicate many diseases, including acute appendicitis and acute diverticulitis, it is easy to misdiagnose epiploic appendagitis (EA). Thus, it is important that urgent care practitioners be able to distinguish EA from many other entities, especially because surgery presents the risk of complications. MAY MOHTY, MD, FAAP, FAAUCM, and ANDREW WANG, MS-3 An epiploic appendage is a fat-filled sac (1–2 cm thick and …
Read MoreMay 2015
Aortic Dissection
Urgent message: Although chest pain in young adults is often benign, it is important to realize that emergency cases can sometimes be disguised as normal examination findings in adults. ZANA ALATTAR and JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP This case demonstrates the importance of considering and ruling out rare cases of aortic dissection in patients with chest pain. We describe a case illustrating the approach to the management and work-up of chest pain in young …
Read MoreApril 2015
Fracture of the Penis with Urethral Rupture
Urgent message: Failure to diagnose and, if necessary, repair penile fracture can result in devastating consequences such as stricture, fistula, and long-term voiding difficulty. TAYT ELLISON, MS-3, SHAILENDRA SAXENA, MD, PhD, LAURA KLUG, PharmD, and SANJEEV SHARMA, MD Although penile trauma is not a common presentation in the urgent care setting, it is under-reported because of embarrassment, as are other injuries related to sexual activity. The urgent care clinician should be prepared to evaluate these …
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