Scarlet fever in an adult patient: A challenging diagnosis in an airway emergency

Scarlet fever is essentially a childhood disease, although it may occur in all ages. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential in preventing the spread of infection and progression to life-threatening complications. The case presented describes the clinical difficulty in the diagnosis of scarlet fever in an adult patient with acute involvement of the airway (oedematous laryngitis) and the need for emergent orotracheal intubation and eventually tracheotomy. A high degree of suspicion related to the airway involvement is of utmost importance in an emergency room setting.

Unusual Case of a Missing Vibrator Device in the Pelvis

Emergency room admissions and surgery secondary to the malfunctioning of devices intended for sexual stimulation are extremely common. Emergency room staff in the United States are commonly skilled in the detection and removal of some of these frequent occurrences. Occasionally, surgical intervention can be warranted if the device enters a cavity that cannot safely be explored in the emergency room setting. We report a case of a vibrator which was lost during sexual activity and appeared on flat plate X-ray to be in the abdominal cavity. A careful history showed that the device was of an unusually narrow diameter, and surgical intervention showed the device ultimately ended up in the bladder without traumatic injury. Following laparoscopic confirmation of the device’s location in the bladder, cystoscopic removal was performed and the patient recovered uneventfully.