Category: Uncategorized

Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy

  • New onset hypertension after 20 weeks of gestation (systolic blood pressure > 140 and/or diastolic blood pressure > 90)

And either

  • Proteinuria (urine protein:creatinine ratio ≥30mg/mmol)

Or

  • Other features of pre-eclampsia1:
    • AKI (creatinine ≥ 90)
    • Liver dysfunction (ALT>40)/epigastric/RUQ pain
    • New severe persistent headache without an alternative diagnosis
    • Persistent visual disturbance
    • Haematological complications (platelets <150/DIC/haemolysis)
    • Neurological complications (clonus/stroke/seizures(eclampsia))
    • Pulmonary oedema
    • Uteroplacental dysfunction (fetal growth restriction/placental abruption/intrauterine death)

Onset is usually after 20 weeks of gestation, but it can also occur up to a few weeks postpartum.

Eclampsia- This is pre-eclampsia that has progressed to seizures

Risk Factors:

Clinical features of pre-eclampsia:

  • Asymptomatic hypertension (picked up on screening or incidentally when presenting with another issue)
  • Headache (usually frontal)
  • RUQ or epigastric pain (also a symptom of HELLP syndrome)
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Oedema (common but not specific). Especially if rapidly increasing and involving face and hands.
  • Visual disturbance (flashing lights in the visual fields or scotomata)
  • Shortness of breath (uncommon but can occur due to pulmonary oedema)
  • Hyper-reflexia and/or clonus

HELLP syndrome is a variant of severe pre-eclampsia characterised by haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets.4

Symptoms and signs are similar to those of pre-eclampsia but also include jaundice and bleeding.

Management of Pre-eclampsia:

 

  • Contact obstetrics early
  • Manage the patient in an area with close monitoring if pre-eclampsia with severe features
  • BP management:
    • Labetalol first line unless unsuitable or contraindicated3 (e.g. asthma)
    • Nifedipine MR second line
    • Methyldopa third line (not used postpartum due to risk of depression)
  • Careful fluid balance monitoring
    • Fluid restriction to reduce the risk of pulmonary oedema
    • Monitor urine output if severe
  • Consider IV magnesium sulphate for eclampsia prophylaxis if severe features of pre-eclampsia

Definitive management:

Definitive management of pre-eclampsia is ultimately delivery of the fetus.   Timing of delivery will be decided by senior members of the obstetric team according to the severity of pre-eclampsia, the current gestation and in consultation with the patient. Following diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, the majority of women are managed as inpatients until delivery.

 

ED Management of Eclampsia:

  • Ask for help early from ITU and obstetric teams
  • ABC approach, manage in left lateral position
  • Airway and breathing assessment with high flow oxygen
  • If inadequate ventilation, consider early intubation (laryngeal oedema in pre-eclampsia and increased risk of aspiration in pregnancy)
  • Magnesium sulphate IV is treatment of choice for seizures – 4g loading dose over 5-10 mins then 1g/hr infusion for 24 hours
  • Further 2g boluses of magnesium sulphate can be given if further seizures occur after initial loading.3
  • Patients will need to be managed in HDU/ITU to stabilise blood pressure prior to delivery

Full NICE guidance is available here

Opioid Toxicity

Opioid Toxicity causes:

  1. Drowsiness
  2. Respiratory Depression – Hypo-ventilation and decreased respiratory rate
  3. Pupillary Miosis

Other Symptoms may include (but are not diagnostic or opioid toxicity):

  • Nausea and vomiting
  •  Neuropsychiatric features including nightmares, anxiety, agitation, euphoria, dysphoria,
    depression, paranoia and hallucinations
  •  Urticaria and pruritis
  •  Convulsions
  •  Hypotension and bradycardia
  •  Hypothermia secondary to environmental exposure

Naloxone is the antidote to Opioids however as these are commonly co-ingested with other depressants. full reversal of symptoms may not occur with treatment.

In acute opioid toxicity, the aim of naloxone administration should be reversal of respiratory depression and maintenance of airway protective reflexes, not full reversal of unconsciousness.

 

Opioid Toxicity Treatment

Naloxone infusion if required is based on the total dose given to obtain Respiratory rate of 10

Link to the full guidance is here

 

Neuro-Obs

Neurological Observations MUST include the following:

  • A full set of NEWS2 observations
  • ACVPU assessment (alert, new confusion, voice, pain, unresponsive)
  • GCS (Glasgow coma scale)
  • Pupillary responses
  • Assessment of Limb power

Head Injury – Level 1

Head injury is witnessed, reported, suspected, or cannot be excluded.

  • There is any new onset of neurological symptoms or deterioration.
  • The patient complains of pain / tenderness to the head
  • Extra consideration should be given to patients currently prescribed anticoagulant medication at the time of the fall.

Post fall Neurological Observations must be completed for at least 12 hours and at the above intervals as a minimum:

During this time If there is any deterioration in the patient’s condition including level of consciousness, pupil reaction, limb power, cardiovascular observation you must revert to ½ hourly neurological observation and seek URGENT medical review.

Patients should be reviewed if no change in condition at 12 hours to ascertain if neurological observations are still indicated – this decision must be documented in the medical notes.

Under no circumstances should Neurological observations be omitted because the patient is asleep

Head Injury – Level 2

Admitted with Head Injury

  • With a sudden deterioration in their level of consciousness
  • Who are unconscious on arrival to hospital
  • Post first seizure

During this time If there is any deterioration in the patient’s condition, including level of consciousness, pupil reaction, limb power or cardiovascular observation you must revert to ½ hourly neurological observations and seek URGENT medical review. Patients should be reviewed if no change in condition at 12 hours to ascertain if neurological observations are still indicated – this decision must be documented in the medical notes.

Under no circumstances should Neurological observations be omitted because the patient is asleep.

Intracerebral/Subarachnoid Haemorrhage OR Stroke
  • Acute Primary Intracerebral/Subarachnoid  haemorrhage
  • Any other Ischaemic stroke 
  • Post Thrombolysis /Thrombectomy for Stroke patients only

During this time If there is any deterioration in the patient’s condition, including level of consciousness, pupil reaction, limb power or cardiovascular observation you must seek URGENT medical review and revert to ½ hourly neurological observations as a minimum, or ¼ hourly, if still within the first 2 hours post thrombolysis.

Under no circumstances should Neurological observations be omitted because the patient is asleep.

Insect bites and stings

Advise people with an insect bite or sting that:

  • a community pharmacist can advise about self-care treatments
  • skin redness and itching are common and may last for up to 10 days
  • it is unlikely that the skin will become infected
  • avoiding scratching may reduce inflammation and the risk of infection
  • they should seek medical help if symptoms worsen rapidly or significantly at any time, or they become systemically unwell.

Be aware that:

  • a rapid-onset skin reaction from an insect bite or sting is likely to be an inflammatory or allergic reaction, rather than an infection
  • most insect bites or stings will not need antibiotics.

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LVAD – Resus & Troubleshooting

ctsurgerypatients.org

LVADs (Left Ventricular Assist Device) are becoming more common and there are patients in our region with them as a bridge to transplant or recovery and in some cases a destination therapy.

The patient and their family will likely know more about this device than you and should have brought spare parts. Our local LVAD centre is Wythenshaw however, there are other units around the country the patient may direct you to.

The patient may not have a palpable pulse, the blood pressure will be low and the heart pump sounds like a buzz when you listen.

If patient is unresponsive or has a history of collapse its important to troubleshoot the device and resusitation may be required

Read more

Non-Site Specific Referrals

This is the pathway for patients in whom there is a significant concern about malignancy or other serious pathology but who do not meet the pathway for a site specific referral e.g lung cancer pathway etc.

Patients must be haemodynamically stable and suitable for discharge from the ED to have their investigations as an  urgent outpatient.

Exclusion Criteria:
• Patient has specific alarming symptoms warranting referral onto a site-specific two week
wait pathway
• Patient is too unwell or unable to attend as an outpatient or needs acute admission
• Patient is likely to have a non-cancer diagnosis suitable for another specialist pathway
• Patient is currently being investigated for the same problem by another specialist team
• Please consider whether a referral to frailty might be more appropriate

How to complete the referral via EPR

Once referral is completed the team will pick it up and arrange further investigations.

Ensure the patient contact details on EPR are up to date and they know the team will be contacting them.