Central nervous system (CNS) infections, including meningitis, encephalitis, and brain abscess, are rare but time-sensitive emergency department (ED) diagnoses. Patients with CNS infection can present to the ED with nonspecific…
Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a neurological emergency with high risk of neurological decline and death. Although the presentation of a thunderclap headache or the worst headache of a patient’s…
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the deadliest type of stroke and up to half of patients die in hospital. Blood pressure management, coagulopathy reversal, and intracranial pressure control are the mainstays…
Although stroke declined from the third to fifth most common cause of death in the United States, the annual incidence and overall prevalence continue to increase. Since the available US…
The definition of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) has evolved over the past decade from a clinical diagnosis to a tissue-based definition based on neuroimaging results. TIA shares the same…
Coma represents a true medical emergency. Drug intoxications are a leading cause of coma; however, other metabolic disturbances and traumatic brain injury are also common causes. The general emergency department…
The emergent evaluation and treatment of generalized convulsive status epilepticus presents challenges for emergency physicians. This disease is one of the few in which minutes can mean the difference between…
Acute back pain is a common presenting complaint in the emergency department that leads to a great deal of resource utilization. The differential diagnosis is long and most cases are…
Dizziness is a common chief complaint in emergency medicine. The differential diagnosis is broad and includes serious conditions, such as stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, hypovolemic states, and acute toxic and metabolic…
There are a number of dangerous secondary causes of headaches that are life, limb, brain, or vision threatening that emergency physicians must consider in patients presenting with acute headache. Careful…
