Cardiology

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A 65-year-old woman, who was confined to a wheelchairbecause of severe rheumatoid arthritis, was concernedabout nodules that had erupted on her fingers and handsduring the previous 3 weeks (A). Her medical historyincluded colon cancer, chronic renal insufficiency, anemia,and hypertension. The nonpruritic nodules were painfulwhen they began to form under the skin; however, oncethey erupted, the pain disappeared.

Ten weeks before presentation, this55-year-old woman noticed decreasedsensation in her feet and a bluish discolorationof her toes. These symptomsprogressed rapidly, and pain andcoldness in both feet increased in intensity.Her feet subsequently becamegangrenous. Her seropositive arthritishad been diagnosed about 6 yearsearlier. The disease had been wellcontrolled until about 10 weeks beforethis photograph was taken.

During an annual eye examination, a 65-year-old womanwith a 5-year history of type 2 insulin-dependent diabetescomplained that her vision had slightly worsened in botheyes. Her best corrected visual acuity was 20/30 in botheyes.

Arterial Gas Embolism

A healthy 32-year-old scuba diver was taken to the emergency department (ED). He had lost consciousness following a dive in which he had held his breath during a rapid ascent to the surface and had performed the Valsalva maneuver to clear his ears.

A slightly pruritic, red, scaly rash on an 8-year-old boy’shands has been progressively worsening since it appeared4 months earlier. Nail pitting also was noted. There are noother rashes on his body. The patient is active in sports;denies any new exposure to soaps, clothing, or other contactants;and spends time in the homes of his recently divorcedparents.

An obese 55-year-old woman had intermittent dysuria and frequent urination for 4 days and fever, abdominal pain, and vomiting for 3 days. Her history included type 1 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and angina; her medications included insulin, nifedipine, and nitroglycerin.

Twenty-four hours after a car accident, a 47-year-old man with chronic low back pain-which had been diagnosed years earlier as "arthritis" of the spine-presented with back and chest pain and requested an opioid analgesic. The patient had a history of alcoholism and illicit drug use. Tenderness of the thoracic area was noted.

A 59-year-old man, who was unable to walk, was brought to the emergency department with severe leg pain, worsening weakness, increasing fatigue, chills, and fever of 3 days' duration. The symptoms began after a round of golf. In addition to the leg pain, which particularly affected the calf muscles, the lower extremities were red and swollen.

A 77-year-old African American man with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease presented to the emergency department with acute scrotal swelling and pain. His testicles were erythematous with focal areas of necrosis and associated tissue destruction. Similar skin changes were apparent in the lower abdominal and inguinal regions.

A 63-year-old woman presents withdiffuse hyperkeratosis of the solesand palms. She also has onycholysis-separation of the nail plate fromthe nail bed-and salmon-coloredplaques behind her ears. Biopsy ofone of the plaques confirms the suspecteddiagnosis of psoriasis.

A 30-year-old man presents with scalingand erythema of the scalp that extendspast the anterior hairline. Thepatient has a family history of psoriasis.For the past 5 years, he has experiencedwintertime flares of the diseasethat affect his scalp and the extensorsurfaces of the extremities.