The Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 32, Issue 1 , Pages 15-18 , January 2007

Utility of lumbar puncture in the afebrile vs. febrile elderly patient with altered mental status: a pilot study

  • Kaushal Shah, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, New York, New York
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint Address: Kaushal Shah, md, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, 1111 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10025
    • ,
  • Kathleen Richard

      Affiliations

    • Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire
    • ,
  • Jonathan A. Edlow, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts

Received 7 July 2004 ,Revised 18 October 2005 ,Accepted 30 May 2006.

References 

  1. Kanich W, Brady WJ, Huff JS, et al. Altered mental status: evaluation and etiology in the ED. Am J Emerg Med. 2002;20:613–617
  2. Wofford JL, Loehr LR, Schwartz E. Acute cognitive impairment in elderly ED patients: etiologies and outcomes. Am J Emerg Med. 1996;14:649–653
  3. Behrman RE, Meyers BR, Mendelson MH, Sacks HS, Hirschman SZ. Central nervous system infections in the elderly. Arch Intern Med. 1989;149:1596–1599
  4. Rasmussen HH, Sorensen HT, Moller-Petersen J, Mortensen FV, Nielsen B. Bacterial meningitis in elderly patients: clinical picture and course. Age Ageing. 1992;21:216–220
  5. Durand ML, Calderwood SB, Weber DJ, et al. Acute bacterial meningitis in adults (A review of 493 episodes). N Engl J Med. 1993;328:21–28
  6. Sigurdardottir B, Bjornsson OM, Jonsdottir KE, Erlendsdottir H, Gudmundsson S. Acute bacterial meningitis in adults (A 20-year overview). Arch Intern Med. 1997;157:425–430

PII: S0736-4679(06)00637-8

doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2006.05.032

The Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 32, Issue 1 , Pages 15-18 , January 2007

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