ALERT
For patients presenting between 3 and 4.5 hr of onset, there are additional exclusion criteria:
- Age >80 yr
- Oral anticoagulant use (regardless of INR)
- NIH-SS >25 or >1/3 MCA territory involved
- History of previous stroke
and
diabetes
MEDICATION
First Line
- Alteplase (tPA): 0.9 mg/kg IV; max. 90 mg, with 10% of dose given as bolus and remainder infused over 60 min
- Aspirin: 81–325 mg PO/PR
- Labetalol: 10–20 mg IV bolus, repeat q10min max. 300 mg; follow with continuous infusion 0.5–2 mg/min
Second Line
- Clopidogrel: 75 mg PO daily
- Diazepam: 5 mg IV q5–10min max. 20 mg
- Enalapril: 0.675–1.25 mg IV
- Hydralazine: 10–20 mg IV q30min
- Mannitol (15–25% solution): 0.5–2 g/kg IV over 5–10 min, then 0.5–1 g/kg q4–q6h
- Nicardipine: 5 mg/h IV, increase by 2.5 mg/h q5–15min max. 15 mg/h
- Nitroprusside: 0.25–10 μg/kg/min IV
- Trimetaphan: 1–4 mg/min IV
Pediatric Considerations
- Heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin is often used in children with ischemic stroke
- May call 1-800-NOCLOTS for pediatric stroke consultation and guidance
FOLLOW-UP
DISPOSITION
Admission Criteria
- Patients with acute cerebral vascular accident should be admitted to hospital
- Indications for ICU:
- Severely decreased level of consciousness
- Hemodynamic instability
- Life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias
- Significantly increased intracranial pressure
- Administration of alteplase
Discharge Criteria
- Patients who present with completed strokes that are days to weeks old may be discharged if they are able to function independently or have adequate social support
- Patients with multiple prior strokes who experience relatively minor new episodes may also be treated on outpatient basis if similar criteria are met and stroke is completed
FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS
- Neurology
- Primary care
- Speech therapy/occupational therapy
PEARLS AND PITFALLS
- Always note pre-hospital observations
- Onset of symptoms is crucial to determining treatment with tPA
- Include additional exclusion criteria between 3 and 4.5 hr
- Avoid aggressive BP correction due to risk of hypoperfusion and extension of stroke
- Door to needle goal is <60 min
ADDITIONAL READING
- Clinical Policy: Use of intravenous tPA for the management of acute ischemic stroke in the emergency department.
Ann Emerg Med.
2013;61:225–243.
- Freundlich CL, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Dorfman DH. Pediatric stroke.
Emerg Med Clin N Am
. 2012;30:805–828.
- Fulgham JR, Ingall TJ, Stead LG, et al. Management of acute ischemic stroke.
Mayo Clin Proc
. 2004;11:1459–1469.
- Jauch EC, Saver JL, Adams HP Jr, et al. Guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke: A guideline for healthcare professional from American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Stroke Council.
Stroke
. 2013;44:870–947.
- Lees KR, Bluhmki E, von Kummer R, et al. Time to treatment with intravenous alteplase and outcomes of stroke: An updated pooled analysis of ECASS, ATLANTIS, NINDS, and EPITHET trials.
Lancet
. 2010;375:1695–1703.
- Leira EC, Ludwig BR, Gurol ME, et al. The types of neurological deficits might not justify withholding treatment in patients with low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores.
Stroke
. 2012;43:782--786.
- Perry JM, McCabe KK. Recognition and initial management of acute ischemic stroke.
Emerg Med Clin North Am
. 2012;30:637–657.
- www.ninds.nih.gov/doctors
See Also (Topic, Algorithm, Electronic Media Element)
- Transient Ischemic Attack
- Intracranial Hemorrhage
CODES
ICD9
- 434.01 Cerebral thrombosis with cerebral infarction
- 434.11 Cerebral embolism with cerebral infarction
- 434.91 Cerebral artery occlusion, unspecified with cerebral infarction
ICD10
- I63.59 Cereb infrc due to unsp occls or stenosis of cerebral artery
- I63.8 Other cerebral infarction
- I63.9 Cerebral infarction, unspecified
CERVICAL ADENITIS
Julie Zeller
BASICS
DESCRIPTION
- Acute bacterial infection of a cervical lymph node
- Often arising after a prior bacterial infection of the head or neck area
- Primarily a pediatric disease:
- Becoming more common in adults owing to immunocompromised disease states (HIV, cancer, transplant patients)
- Any cervical node can become infected:
- >80% of childhood cervical lymphadenitis involves the submandibular or deep cervical nodes
- Jugulodigastric node located just below the angle of the mandible is common site
- Cervical nodes act as the final common pathway for lymphatic drainage of all areas of the head and neck
- Initial lymphadenopathy results after bacterial invasion of regional areas of the head and neck
- Local lymph nodes swell secondary to hyperplasia of sinusoidal cells and infiltration of lymphocytes
- If the infection is not contained, the bacteria enter the lymph system and proliferate (lymphadenitis)
- Pus forms when neutrophils are incited, and an abscess develops when host defenses are unable to clear infection
- Clinically manifests as warm, tender, swollen, erythematous node
ETIOLOGY
- ∼70% of cases are a result of group A β-hemolytic Streptococcal infection
- 20% Staphylococcal infection
- 10% related to viral infection or other bacteria
- Infections secondary to community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) have increased in frequency
- Children have one of the highest rate of CA-MRSA colonization and invasive disease
- Mycobacteria TB:
- Scrofula or tuberculous lymphadenitis
- Rarely seen
- Usually a chronic lymphadenitis in the posterior cervical nodes
- Purified protein derivative (PPD) is usually strongly reactive
- Treatment is nonsurgical
- Atypical mycobacteria (nontuberculous)
Mycobacterium avium
complex:
- More commonly seen
- Usually a chronic lymphadenitis in the submandibular or anterior cervical nodes
- PPD test results are unreliable
- Treatment is primarily surgical
- Bartonella henselae
(catscratch disease):
- Subacute lymphadenitis
- Fever and mild systemic symptoms occur in only ∼3% of patients
- Has indolent course but usually spontaneously resolves after 4–6 wk
- Anaerobes:
- Consider when associated with infections of the teeth or gingiva
- Rare organisms:
- Gram-negative bacilli
- Yersinia pestis
- Group B streptococcus
- Francisella tularensis
- Alpha-streptococcus
- Anthrax
Pediatric Considerations
- One of the most common causes of a neck mass in a child
- Overall, group A Streptococcus and
Staphylococcus aureus
most common causes
- In neonates, group B Streptococcus and
S. aureus
most common
- Group B
Streptococcal cellulitis
–adenitis syndrome:
- Infants are usually 3–7 wk of age, male, febrile, with submandibular or facial cellulitis, and an ipsilateral otitis media
- 94% incidence of concurrent bacteremia
- S. aureus
associated with more indolent course and higher frequency of suppuration
- Viral infections generally result in bilateral lymphadenopathy
Geriatric Considerations
- Consider malignancy over infection in this population, especially in the absence of fever, leukocytosis, etc.
- Fixed, nontender, hard node most likely not cervical adenitis
DIAGNOSIS