Dr. Michael Filbin: Today’s case is that of a 46-year-old woman found unconscious on the floor of her
apartment by her boyfriend who immediately called 911. Upon paramedic arrival the
patient was noted to be unresponsive, lying on the bedroom floor. The boyfriend told
paramedics that she had a history of bipolar disorder for which she took Valproic
Acid. She had not been depressed recently and had never made a suicide attempt in
the past. She had no known drug allergies. She did not smoke, drink alcohol, or use
illicit drugs. The vital signs on EMS arrival included a heart rate of 148 beats per
minute (bpm), blood pressure of 90/60 mm Hg, and shallow respirations of 14 breaths
per minute. The Glascow Coma Scale was noted to be 4, with eyes opening to painful
stimulus but without verbal or motor response.
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
December 11,
2000
Received:
November 21,
2000
Identification
Copyright
© 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
