The mental state is consistent with my Dx even in the absence of a rash. Is their a productive cough? Rales? Temp? Headache? BP? RR? Pulse? What level of personal interaction has he had with Patient #1, e.g. did they share a smoke together?

What is the CC for Patient #3? Same questions for him as with #2. Any rash? What does Patient #3 have in common with #1 & #2, e.g. shared duty assignments, sleeping quarters, eat together, share smokes, share drinks?

Is their a productive cough?

No.

Rales?

No

Temp?

102

Headache?

Yes.

BP?

100/65

RR?

14

Pulse?

85

What level of personal interaction has he had with Patient #1, e.g. did they share a smoke together?

No shared tobacco products. They sleep in neighboring cots.

What is the CC for Patient #3?

Similar cold-like symptoms, he is notably pale, and complains of notable leg pain.

Same questions for him as with #2.

Pretty similar except bringing back a little stronger of a URI picture like in the first patient. Vitals in the same ballpark except a little more tachy.

Any rash?

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/1636/hw7v.jpg

What does Patient #3 have in common with #1 & #2, e.g. shared duty assignments, sleeping quarters, eat together, share smokes, share drinks?

Shared sleeping quarters. You note that after one of the AC units went on the fritz, a large number of the NG soldiers have crammed into one room (with a working AC) to sleep.




Your overall clinical impression of case 3 is that of a combination of cases 1 & 2.

Get all the soldiers in the shared quarters to sick call ASAP! Quarantine these Patients! I will be wearing a mask and gloves from here on out if not already doing so.;) The rash on Patient #3 confirms my Dx!

Let me know when you are ready for the Rx and action plans. ;)

While we are at it, what is the result of the glass test on the rash of Patient #3?

Roger! Trapper John has more experience than I do with real-world epidemic management, so I'm going to let him take over discussion of that portion of the scenario. I am still waiting for someone (other than TJ) to ask me for the one classic exam finding that would have been absent from case one (at least at this stage!) but present in cases 2 & 3.

The rash on PT #3 is also non-blanching.

They have Kennel cough, or shipping fever... 'nuff said... take 'em to the 'tube' and make them go away... then board their medic....:eek::p:rolleyes:

Close but no cigar Bro. :p Anyone else want to offer a Dx & Rx plan at this point? Hint: This has already become an imminent medical emergency.

Just for fun let's say the NG unit is a Company size unit at this remote FOB. Let's also assume the AO is hot and Medevac may be days away. Intel reports a large Taliban force is on the move towards the FOB. You may be able to get a resupply dropped in, but the window for that is closing fast. You need to quickly assess the medical situation and request any resupply that you might need within the hour.

So, what is the Dx and Rx plan. What are the recommendations to the Team Sergeant/Team Leader. What do you recommend to the NG CO? What effect can this medical emergency have on the tactical situation? What are your recommendations to the Team Sergeant/Team Leader?

What do we know so far?

Patient 1:
Cold Symptoms
Fever
Non-blanching petechial rash
Slight Headache

Patient 2:
Cold Symptoms
Fever
Altered Mental Status
Headache
(important sign no one has asked about)

Patient 3:
Cold Symptoms
Fever
Headache
Purpural Rash
Altered Mental Status
(important sign no one has asked about)

Its probably contagious, and it seems to be moving fast. Can you make a differential?

Exam positive for nuchal rigidity! So you nailed the mystery sign! :lifter

Short term memory loss and lassitude as noted in PT two. PT 3 is becoming increasingly disoriented and does not know his location.

We did ask about headache - you stated when presenting the next 2 patients, "will give you all of the questions you have already asked" so I didn't repeat it.

The headache, fever and purpura raises concern a neisseria meningiditis outbreak - any nuchal rigidity noted in patient 2 and 3?

I would assume all troops have been vaccinated and have responded appropriately to the vaccine, however, so this is lower on my differential.

My top 2 bugs are:
Salmonella typhi
Neisseria meningiditis

Both can be spread to close contacts when sanitation is substandard and can cause the constellation of findings in these troops.

So as you think of your treatment and epidemic management plans for Trapper John, here are some of the clinical pearls about neisseria meningitidis infection:

n. meningitidis should scare the heck out of you if you are a health care provider. Many times, this is the patient who just seems to have some sort of a cold, but RAPIDLY progresses to much more severe illness and death if not treated. Patients may go from initial presentation to death in hours. This is also a fairly contagious infectious agent, spread by close contact.

There are three basic manifestations of meningococcal infection:
-Meningitis (patient 2)
-Meningitis with accompanying meningococcemia (patient 3)
-Meningococcemia without clinical evidence of meningitis (patient 1... although the faint headache may point to the start of meningitis)

The three classic signs of meningitis are:
-Fever
-Altered Mental Status
-Nuchal Rigidity

Meningococcal meningitis adds a fourth "classic" sign which is often the first sign of serious illness in these patients:
-Non-blanching petichiae/purpura

Additional worrisome signs may include mottling of skin, leg pain, and cold hands/feet.

You may not get all of these signs/symptoms in all patients!

The clinical standard for treatment is to begin ABX therapy within 30min of considering the diagnosis.

And for those of you who are thinking: "but aren't soldiers immunized for this?" The current vaccine covers n. meningitidis types A, C, Y, and W-135. Type B accounts for 25% of infections, and only VERY recently has a vaccine become available (google "princeton meningitis vaccine" for the story) .

I'll let Trapper John take it from here!

Treatment of choice for these guys (in light of the newly noted nuchal rigidity) is parenteral ceftriaxone. The purpura and nuchal rigidity is the telltale sign of meningococcemia.

Viral meningitis tends to be more mild in immunocompetent hosts and does not classically present with petechiae/purpura.

Fungal meningiditis would be a red flag of a much more serious problem, such as advanced immunocompromised state (i.e. AIDS), or innoculating the CSF with tainted medications (like the recent outbreak with steroid injections).

Both fungal and viral meningitis tend to be more slowly progressive.

Prophylactic treatment would depend on availability of sufficient antibiotics - I would certainly treat the symptomatic patients and have to determine the need for prophylaxis for close contacts depending on availability of antibiotics and nature of contact with the index cases.