An injured man with acute altered mental status

Emerg Med J. 2018 Mar;35(3):148. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2017-206724.

Abstract

Clinical introduction: A 58-year-old man sustained injuries due to accidental fall from a height of 5 m onto a solid floor while operating a crane. He was fully conscious without external evidence of head injury when presented to the ED. The patient had multiple fractures involving the fourth, fifth and seventh of the left ribs, left iliac wing and superior ramus of the pelvis, comminuted fracture of the left femur shaft, and an open fracture of the mandible. Two hours after ED presentation, the patient developed acute confusion and lethargy, which rapidly progressed to coma and respiratory distress, and was subsequently intubated with mechanical ventilation support. Emergent CT scan of the head is shown (figure 1).emermed;35/3/148/F1F1F1Figure 1CT scan of the head without contrast.

Question: What is the most likely diagnosis?A. Cerebral haemorrhageB. Brain metastasisC. Cerebral fat embolismD. Diffuse axonal injury.

Keywords: Emergency Department; Neurology; Trauma.

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls*
  • Embolism, Fat / complications*
  • Embolism, Fat / diagnosis*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Trauma / complications*
  • Multiple Trauma / diagnosis
  • Multiple Trauma / physiopathology