Critical Care and Shock

November 2008

Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral Mucormycosis in a Critically Ill Patient

A 54 year-old Caucasian gentleman with history of diabetes presented to emergency department with complaints of facial swelling for one week and left orbital pain of one day duration. The patient underwent computed tomography (CT) scan of head with intravenous contrast which revealed infl ammation of left medial rectus muscle and cellulites of medial left orbital coronal space deep to and surrounding the medial rectus muscle with some lateral deviation of the left eye. In addition, left maxillary sinus disease was noted.

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Hypertensive Emergencies: Time for Guidelines

Hypertension remains the “silent killer”. Over 72 million Americans suffer from this condition and it is estimated that as many as 1 billion people worldwide may have it [1]. Critical care clinicians are likely to encounter patients with this malady. Indeed, one percent of patients with essential hypertension (HTN) will develop at some point in their life a hypertensive crisis [2].

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