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Nil.

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Pneumorrhachis (PR) is defined as presence of free air in the spinal canal. Traumatic PR is very rare, and its exact incidence and pathogenesis is unknown. A comprehensive literature search was performed using the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and Scopus databases to identify articles relevant to traumatic PR published till January 2023. A total of 34 resources were selected for inclusion in this narrative review. Traumatic PR can be classified anatomically into epidural and intradural types. In the epidural type, air is present peripherally in the spinal canal and the patients are usually asymptomatic. In contrast, in intradural PR, air is seen centrally in the spinal canal and patients present with neurological symptoms, and it is a marker of severe trauma. It is frequently associated with traumatic pneumocephalus, skull fractures or thoracic spine fracture. Computed tomography (CT) is considered to be the diagnostic modality of choice. Epidural PR is self-limited and patients are generally managed conservatively. Patients with neurological symptoms or persistent air in spinal canal require further evaluation for a potential source of air leak, with a need for surgical intervention. Differentiation between epidural and intradural PR is important, because the latter is an indication of severe underlying injury. CT imaging of the entire spine must be performed to look for extension of air, as well as to identify concomitant skull, torso or spinal injuries Most patients are asymptomatic and are managed conservatively, but a few may develop neurological symptoms that need further evaluation and management.

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Spearfishing is a popular sport in New Zealand. While there have been a few reported self-inflicted speargun injuries causing fatal intracranial damage, accidental speargun injuries while fishing are less common. Intra-abdominal speargun injuries are even less common. Its occurrence in a 30-year-old male patient reported here highlights the potential risk of life-threatening injuries. A 30-year-old male sustained an accidental speargun injury, with the spear passing through central small bowel loops and its pointed tip penetrating the left iliac wing. The patient underwent laparotomy, and the spear was removed in an antegrade fashion with primary closure of small bowel enterotomies and repair of the mesenteric defects. He had a re-look laparotomy 48 hours later with resection and anastomosis of two primary small bowel repairs and was eventually discharged after 12 days. Information obtained by radiological evaluation using computed tomography (CT) scan and angiography regarding the spear trajectory, injured organs, vasculature and spear tip mechanism is important to decide the best surgical approach. The spear should be removed in an antegrade fashion, because pulling the spear in the retrograde direction can cause further tissue and/or vascular injury. Currently, there is no legislation regarding the use of spearguns and users do not require a license, despite the potential for severe penetrating trauma similar to that caused by firearms. Spearguns can produce life-threatening injuries and the removal of the spear depends on the location of the tip in relation to adjacent structures and whether the flapper is open. It often requires a multidisciplinary team approach. Safety guidelines need to be published and widely available, and the potential risks of speargun injuries should be included in fishing rules. Introducing license requirement for possession and handling of this firearm-like weapon also needs to be considered.

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"Trauma activation" is a process adopted across all emergency departments of public healthcare institutions in Singapore, with the aim of rapidly mobilising personnel and resources to care for patients with major trauma. A subset of trauma patients with exsanguinating haemorrhage has a particularly high mortality rate, and they require an additional response beyond the usual trauma activation for definitive haemorrhage control. To address this need, Code Crimson has been developed at Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand and other jurisdictions as a step-up response. This is aimed at early activation of the massive transfusion protocol for haemostatic resuscitation, involvement of additional multidisciplinary teams for rapid decision-making, and expediting definitive haemorrhage control. At present, there is no protocol for activation of Code Crimson in Singapore. Code Crimson may be effective in Singapore, as it has been in other jurisdictions, to reduce morbidity and mortality in major trauma patients with severe haemorrhage.

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Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of infective endocarditis. Meningitis is a rare initial presenting feature of S. aureus infective endocarditis, especially with the absence of other cardio-vascular signs. Differentiating patients with uncomplicated S. aureus bacteraemia from those with underlying infective endocarditis is often challenging.

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Low back pain is one of the most common presenting complaints in the emergency department, and a plain radiograph of the lumbar spine is usually the first diagnostic modality. The ivory vertebra sign refers to the radiological appearance of a smooth, white ivory-like appearance of the affected single vertebra or multiple vertebral bodies. It is sometimes the initial radiologic manifestation of a variety of infectious, neoplastic, or metabolic diseases. Subsequent computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are generally indicated to characterize the details, as well as look for other occult lesions. It is therefore important for emergency physicians to be aware of this, as this will aid in the appropriate evaluation and rapid diagnosis of the underlying disorder.

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BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an aggressive tumor, with an incidental discovery in most patients. Classic presentation is rare, and it has a high frequency of local and distant metastasis at the time of detection. CASE SUMMARY: We present a rare case of a 58-year-old man with a ball-shaped thrombus in the right atrium at the time of first incidental identification of RCC in the emergency department. Cardiac metastasis, especially thrombus in the right atrium, is rare. It could either be a bland thrombus or a tumor thrombus, and physicians should consider this potentially fatal complication of RCC early at the time of initial presentation. CONCLUSION: Ball-shaped lesions in the right atrium are rare, and bland thrombus should be differentiated from tumor thrombus secondary to intracardiac metastasis.

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INTRODUCTION: Based on the severity of thrombocytopenia, patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) are at an increased risk of mucocutaneous or major bleeding. DISCUSSION: There has been an increased risk of ITP after administration of various vaccines like influenza, measles-mumps-rubella, hepatitis B, and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis. The pathogenesis of vaccine-related thrombocytopenia is not completely clear and is probably caused by molecular mimicry. Till date, there have been few reported cases of thrombocytopenia in the pharmacovigilance databases after patients received the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccines. CONCLUSION: Emergency physicians should be aware of the occurrence of vaccine-induced ITP in patients who present with bleeding manifestations, especially after the current boost in COVID-19 vaccination drive worldwide.

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Adenosine is frequently used for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) treatment in the emergency department (ED). Atrial and ventricular pro-arrhythmic effects of adenosine were described in the literature, but ventricular fibrillation (VF) secondary to adenosine administration was rarely reported (with an incidence of < 1%). Reported herein is the first case of a 72-year-old female patient who developed VF hemodynamic collapse after an intravenous administration of adenosine for PSVT treatment. She had no known pre-excitation or accessory pathway, nor any underlying structural heart disease or prolonged QT syndrome. Raising awareness of this potential life-threatening pro-arrhythmic effect of adenosine is important, given its frequent use for PSVT treatment in the ED.

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While armed assailant attacks are rare in the hospital setting, they pose a potential risk to healthcare staff, patients, visitors and the infrastructure. Singapore hospitals have well-developed disaster plans to respond to a mass casualty incident occurring outside the hospital. However, lack of an armed assailant incident response plan can significantly reduce the hospital's ability to appropriately respond to such an incident. The authors describe various strategies that can be adopted in the development of an armed assailant incident response plan. Regular staff training will increase staff resilience and capability to respond to a potential threat in the future. The aim of this article is to highlight the need for the emergency preparedness units of all hospitals to work together with various stakeholders to develop an armed assailant incident response plan. This will be of great benefit for keeping healthcare facilities safe, both for staff as well as for the community.

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Ethyl chloride was popular as an inhalant recreational drug in the 1980s. It is easily available in pharmacies as well as sold online as a topical anesthetic spray for pain relief. In recent times, its use is gaining popularity again among the youth as an inhalant drug due to its neuro-stimulatory effects. To avoid the risks associated with use of illegal drugs, and ease of availability of ethyl chloride without restrictions, there is a rising trend to use it as a "substitute" drug of abuse. In this paper, we try to highlight to the critical care and emergency physicians that majority of these cases present with predominant neurological symptoms, with occasional involvement of the cardiovascular system. The diagnosis of ethyl chloride poisoning is primarily clinical and supportive care is the mainstay of treatment, along with subsequent counseling. Ethyl chloride abuse should be considered as a differential diagnosis in young patients presenting with predominant neurological symptoms. Alongside raising public awareness, the manufacturers and retail distributors of these products have an important role to play in reducing the risk of abuse.

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CT scan of the abdomen showing a large amount of feces in the anterior descending recto-sigmoid colon with wall thickening (red arrow) and surrounding fat stranding (yellow arrow) suggestive of stercoral colitis.

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US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended enhanced safety surveillance to monitor for cases of Bell's palsy following Moderna vaccine administration in larger populations. The author reports a patient who developed right sided Bell's palsy 2 weeks after administration of the second dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Considering this development of symptoms 2 weeks after the second dose of Moderna vaccine administration, there remains a possibility of a causal association. As more people get vaccinated, more information may be available in the future to establish association. Physicians need to maintain enhanced safety surveillance to monitor for cases of Bell's palsy following mRNA vaccine administration.