1/42. Shaking, chills, and rigors with once-daily gentamicin.A patient receiving once-daily gentamicin experienced shaking, chills, and rigors. This adverse reaction has occurred in patients around the country at many different institutions. Although the etiology is thought to be mediated by higher than normal endotoxin levels in one product, other possibilities must be explored.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/42. Respiratory distress secondary to both amphotericin b deoxycholate and lipid complex formulation.A 73-y-old female with a history of adenocarcinoma of colon and refractory anemia developed febrile neutropenia following chemotherapy. Therapy with iv infusion of amphotericin b deoxycholate (AmBd) was initiated on day 8 of hospital admission. Premedications included acetaminophen, diphenhydramine and meperidine. Patient developed rigor, chill and elevated temperature approximately 100 min into the infusion. The infusion was temporarily discontinued and rigors subsided following administration of 25 mg meperidine im. Infusion was continued after cessation of the rigors with no further sequelae. During each infusion of AmBd over the next 3 d, the patient developed rigor, chill and elevated temperature which was managed with meperidine. However, on day 4 she developed respiratory distress, bronchospasm and visible cyanosis with oxygen saturation of 88% while on 2 L oxygen. The infusion was stopped and the symptoms subsided with administration of albuterol via nebulizer. Amphotericin lipid formulation infusion was reinstituted after 3 d because of the patient's worsening clinical status. However, the patient developed severe respiratory distress approximately 130 min into the infusion. The infusion was discontinued and she was treated with albuterol via nebulizer. itraconazole therapy was instituted without any adverse sequelae. Clinicians should be aware of this potential adverse event since it can occur with all formulation of amphotericin.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.4keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/42. A diagnostic dilemma of fever and back pain postpartum.A 26-year-old woman presented with fever, chills, and back pain 6 weeks postpartum. An infused CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with IV contrast confirmed septic pelvic vein thrombophlebitis as the diagnosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report describing such a massive thrombophlebitis extending from the superior vena cava to the femoral vein inferiorly responsive to conventional anticoagulation therapy. This exceptional case reminds us to entertain septic pelvic thrombophlebitis in the differential of any patient who presents with fever and back pain of unknown etiology.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/42. Marked hyperthermia as a manifestation of hypoglycemia in long-standing diabetes mellitus.Hyperthermia has recently been recognized as a manifestation of hypoglycemia. We describe two episodes of hypoglycemia associated with nausea, vomiting, chills, and impaired consciousness which were followed by marked hyperthermia. We suggest that the hyperthermia may result from excessive reaction to preceding hypothermia caused by the hypoglycemia. We would like to alert the clinician to the possibility of a previous, severe hypoglycemic episode in any diabetic patient with hyperthermia and coma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/42. Clinical presentation of inhalational anthrax following bioterrorism exposure: report of 2 surviving patients.The use of anthrax as a weapon of biological terrorism has moved from theory to reality in recent weeks. Following processing of a letter containing anthrax spores that had been mailed to a US senator, 5 cases of inhalational anthrax have occurred among postal workers employed at a major postal facility in washington, DC. This report details the clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, and initial therapy of 2 of these patients. The clinical course is in some ways different from what has been described as the classic pattern for inhalational anthrax. One patient developed low-grade fever, chills, cough, and malaise 3 days prior to admission, and then progressive dyspnea and cough productive of blood-tinged sputum on the day of admission. The other patient developed progressively worsening headache of 3 days' duration, along with nausea, chills, and night sweats, but no respiratory symptoms, on the day of admission. Both patients had abnormal findings on chest radiographs. Non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the chest showing mediastinal adenopathy led to a presumptive diagnosis of inhalational anthrax in both cases. The diagnoses were confirmed by blood cultures and polymerase chain reaction testing. Treatment with antibiotics, including intravenous ciprofloxacin, rifampin, and clindamycin, and supportive therapy appears to have slowed the progression of inhalational anthrax and has resulted to date in survival.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.4keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/42. Transfusion-related acute lung injury: report of a clinical look-back investigation.CONTEXT: Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a syndrome that includes dyspnea, hypotension, bilateral pulmonary edema, and fever. TRALI is the third leading cause of transfusion-related mortality, but it is probably underdiagnosed and underreported. OBJECTIVE: To determine if blood products from a frequent plasma donor, whose blood product was implicated in a fatal case of TRALI, caused symptoms of TRALI in other recipients of her plasma. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective chart review (conducted from November 2000 through April 2001) of 50 patients who received blood components within 2 years (October 1998 through October 2000) from a donor linked to a transfusion-related fatality. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Occurrence of mild/moderate (dyspnea with fever, chills, hypotension, and/or hypoxemia) or severe (acute pulmonary edema or need for mechanical ventilation) reaction associated with transfusion. RESULTS: Superimposed illness prevented assessment of TRALI in 14 patients. Of the 36 patient charts that could be reviewed, 7 mild/moderate reactions were reported in 6 patients (16.7%) and 8 severe reactions were reported in 8 patients (22.2%). Of 5 patients who received multiple transfusions from the same donor, 2 experienced 2 reactions: one had 2 mild/moderate reactions and the other had both a mild/moderate and a severe reaction. While 5 of the 7 mild/moderate reactions were reported to the hospital transfusion service, only 2 of the 8 severe reactions were reported. Only 2 reactions (1 mild/moderate and 1 severe) were reported to the regional blood collection facility. CONCLUSIONS: TRALI was frequently underdiagnosed and underreported in recipients of blood products from a donor whose blood products may have caused TRALI in several transfusion recipients. Clinical education and awareness of this often-overlooked diagnosis are imperative for appropriate prevention and treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/42. Severe immune haemolysis in a group A recipient of a group O red blood cell unit.Haemolysis caused by passive ABO antibodies is a rare transfusional complication. We report a case of severe haemolytic reaction in a 38-year-old man (blood group A) with lymphoma who had received one red blood cell (RBC) unit group O. After transfusion of 270 mL, the patient experienced fever, dyspnoea, chills and back pain. On the following morning he was icteric and pale. Haptoglobin was inferior to 5.8 mgdL(-1), haemoglobin was not increased and lactate dehydrogenase was elevated. Haemolysis was evident on observation of the patient's post-transfusion samples. The recipient's red cells developed a positive direct antiglobulin test and Lui elution showed anti-A coated the cells. Fresh donor serum had an anti-A titre of 1024, which was not reduced by treating the serum with dithiothreitol. Donor isoagglutinin screening has been determined by microplate automated analyser and showed titre higher than 100. physicians should be aware of the risk of haemolysis associated with ABO-passive antibodies. There is generally no agreement justifying the isoagglutinin investigation prior to transfusion. However, automated quantitative isoagglutinin determination could be part of the modern donor testing process, mainly in blood banks where identical ABO group units (platelets or phenotyped RBCs) are not available owing to limited supply.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/42. Mercaptopurine-induced fever in a patient with Crohn's disease.OBJECTIVE: To report a case of mercaptopurine-induced fever. CASE SUMMARY: A patient with Crohn's disease was treated with mercaptopurine (6-MP) for an exacerbation of his illness. The patient developed fever and chills. After thorough diagnostic examinations and failure to respond to antimicrobial therapy, symptoms were attributed to an allergic-type reaction to 6-MP. The patient defervesced after 6-MP withdrawal. fever and chills, along with arthralgias, recurred upon rechallenge with a single dose of 6-MP. DISCUSSION: Adverse effects attributable to 6-MP therapy in inflammatory bowel disease were reviewed in the literature. Drug-induced fever has been previously reported; however, it is an uncommon adverse effect and is difficult to diagnose. It is also difficult to predict which patients will have the reaction. It is a diagnosis of exclusion requiring a thorough investigation. CONCLUSIONS: Drug-induced fever should be considered when confronted with fever and chills in patients with inflammatory bowel disease being treated with 6-MP. This case report shows the difficulty in differentiating between an infectious process and an adverse reaction to a medication.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.6keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/42. A clinical study of febrile myoclonus in children.fever is sometimes associated with chill, myoclonus, delirium and convulsion. We previously reported EEG findings of febrile delirium, when we found that 18% of patients showed febrile myoclonus simultaneously with febrile delirium. The purpose of this study is to clarify the clinical features of febrile myoclonus and to investigate the relation to febrile convulsion. Myoclonic episodes were studied in 11 patients, aged 8 months to 11 years. EEG was recorded in eight patients. In the past history, febrile convulsion was noted in two patients and one of them also had febrile delirium. The age range of patients with febrile myoclonus was similar to those developing febrile convulsion except for one case. The duration of febrile myoclonus was usually from several to 30 min, but was longer than 2 h in four patients. Seventy-three percent of patients showed fear, surprise and shouting. EEG was abnormal in four patients and spike components were found in two patients. Myoclonic jerks were seen during the EEG recording in two patients and EEG findings were not concordant with epileptic myoclonic attack. Ten patients were followed for 1-2 years, and none had afebrile seizures. Febrile myoclonus is a benign symptom associated with fever. Mood change, fear or surprise and shouting with myoclonic jerks may suggest action of cytokine on the hypothalamus induced by infection. Febrile myoclonus, delirium and convulsion were seen in one patient in his first 3 years of life. These three symptoms seem to appear in children depending on their predisposition.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/42. infectious mononucleosis presenting as postpartum fever.infectious mononucleosis and pregnancy are common conditions seen by obstetricians and family physicians. However, infectious mononucleosis in the postpartum period has not been reported in the literature. A 20 year-old woman presented with a four-day history of fever of 40 degrees C, and chills at her six-week postpartum visit, which prompted an evaluation of the cause of the fever. The atypical presentation of mononucleosis in this patient delayed the eventual diagnosis. Although infectious mononucleosis has not been mentioned in the literature as a cause of postpartum fever, it is likely more common than realized. For that reason the evaluation of infectious mononucleosis and postpartum fever are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = chill (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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