Podcast 581:  Alcohol Complications

Podcast 581: Alcohol Complications

\Contributor: Don Stader, MD

Educational Pearls:

  • Altered mental status/confusion are major symptoms associated with both alcohol use and withdrawal.
  • Wernicke's encephalopathy is a triad of symptoms of confusion, internuclear ophthalmoplegia, and confabulation
  • The treatment for Wernicke's is IV thiamine or vitamin B1
  • Untreated Wernicke's leads to Korsakoff's syndrome where a prolonged thiamine deficiency leads to worsening brain function
  • Subdural hematomas from torn bridging veins are common in alcoholics because of the combination of frequent falls and cerebral atrophy caused by alcohol.
  • Alcohol is a major cause of heart failure and atrial fibrillation; "holiday heart" is a-fib induced by binge drinking where high levels of acetaldehyde from the metabolism of alcohol excite the heart.
  • Frequent alcohol use is linked to esophageal cancer
  • Alcoholic cirrhosis can lead to a multitude of complications including esophageal varices that can rupture often with fatal outcomes
  • Aspiration pneumonia is more common in alcoholics because of a depressed gag reflex and alteration of oral flora

References

Brousse G, Geneste-Saelens J, Cabe J, Cottencin O. Alcool et urgences [Alcohol and emergencies]. Presse Med. 2018;47(7-8 Pt 1):667-676. doi:10.1016/j.lpm.2018.06.001

Chandrakumar A, Bhardwaj A, 't Jong GW. Review of thiamine deficiency disorders: Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff psychosis. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2018;30(2):153-162. Published 2018 Oct 2. doi:10.1515/jbcpp-2018-0075

Simou E, Britton J, Leonardi-Bee J. Alcohol and the risk of pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2018;8(8):e022344. Published 2018 Aug 22. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022344

Summarized by Jackson Roos, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD



Jaksot(1147)

Podcast #312: SCIWORA

Podcast #312: SCIWORA

Author: Sam Killian, M.D. Educational Pearls: Spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) is a diagnosis defined as traumatic injury to spine with clinical sx of traumatic myelopa...

30 Maalis 20184min

Podcast #311: Recurrence of Seizures in Pediatrics

Podcast #311: Recurrence of Seizures in Pediatrics

Author: Aaron Lessen, M.D. Educational Pearls: Recurrence rate for first time unprovoked seizures - 5% after 48 hours, 14% at 2 weeks , 30% after 4 months. Higher risk for recurrence: age under 3; pa...

28 Maalis 20182min

Podcast #310: Bicarb in DKA

Podcast #310: Bicarb in DKA

Author: Gretchen Hinson, M.D. Educational Pearls: Controversial topic. Pathophysiology - acidosis leads to an extracellular potassium shift. Patients in DKA will be intracellularly potassium deplete,...

26 Maalis 20185min

Podcast #309: Return Visits to the ED for UTI

Podcast #309: Return Visits to the ED for UTI

Author: Alicia Oberle, MD Educational Pearls: Recent study has shown risk factors for return included patients at high risk for resistance (nursing home, obstructive uropathy), patient where diagno...

23 Maalis 20182min

Podcast #308: Ultrasound in Cardiac Arrest

Podcast #308: Ultrasound in Cardiac Arrest

Author: Aaron Lessen, M.D. Educational Pearls: There is currently debate within the medical community about what constitutes cardiac activity on ultrasound in the setting of cardiac arrest. A recent ...

21 Maalis 20182min

Podcast #307: Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Podcast #307: Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Author: Peter Bakes, M.D. Educational Pearls: Rare disease with 1-2 patients out of 100,000. About 60% of patients report a preceding diarrheal illness and classically presents with an ascending mo...

19 Maalis 20184min

Podcast #306: Tramadol Drama

Podcast #306: Tramadol Drama

Author: Nick Hatch, M.D. Educational Pearls Tramadol acts at multiple receptors and is a partial agonist at the mu opioid receptor, but also blocks reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine throughou...

16 Maalis 20183min

Podcast #305: Stuffers vs. Packers : Drug-Packet Ingestion

Podcast #305: Stuffers vs. Packers : Drug-Packet Ingestion

Author: Aaron Lessen, M.D. Educational Pearls A "stuffer" is a term for someone who hastily and conceals a bag of drugs orally/rectally/vaginally in an unplanned situation. A "packer" is someone who...

14 Maalis 20183min

Suosittua kategoriassa Tiede

rss-mita-tulisi-tietaa
rss-poliisin-mieli
utelias-mieli
tiedekulma-podcast
docemilia
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-luontopodi-samuel-glassar-tutkii-luonnon-ihmeita
filocast-filosofian-perusteet
rss-tervetta-skeptisyytta