Dr. Kelsy Greenwald: This is a case of a 27-year-old male who was brought to our emergency department
(ED) by security after he was found unresponsive in the lobby of the hospital. Almost
immediately upon arrival to the ED, clinicians were called to his bedside for somnolence
with shallow breathing. His pupils were 3 mm bilaterally. An i.v. line was inserted
and he was given 0.4 mg naloxone i.v. for a suspected narcotic overdose, after which
he awoke. He then stated that he was in the hospital because he has a seizure disorder
and had not been taking his medication. He was placed on a monitor and his initial
vitals were otherwise unremarkable. He was afebrile, with a heart rate of 60 beats/min,
blood pressure 137/90 mm Hg, respiratory rate 14 breaths/min, and oxygen saturation
99% on room air. However, during further questioning, he would have intermittent episodes
of unresponsiveness, lasting 30 s to 1 min, with staring and drooling. These would
resolve spontaneously, and he was breathing spontaneously throughout.
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References
- “General Laws, Part I, Title XVII, Chapter 123, Section 12.” MA Legislature.(Available at:)https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter123/Section12Date: 2017Date accessed: March 20, 2019
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Publication history
Published online: July 08, 2019
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© 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
