PMID- 33420904 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20210921 LR - 20220419 IS - 1970-9366 (Electronic) IS - 1828-0447 (Linking) VI - 16 IP - 4 DP - 2021 Jun TI - Cryptococcal meningitis: a review for emergency clinicians. PG - 1031-1042 LID - 10.1007/s11739-020-02619-2 [doi] AB - INTRODUCTION: Cryptococcal Meningitis (CM) remains a high-risk clinical condition, and many patients require emergency department (ED) management for complications and stabilization. OBJECTIVE: This narrative review provides an evidence-based summary of the current data for the emergency medicine evaluation and management of CM. DISCUSSION: This review evaluates the diagnosis, management, and empiric treatment of suspected CM in the ED. CM can easily evade diagnosis with a subacute presentation, and should be considered in any patient with a headache, neurological deficit, or who is immunocompromised. As a definitive diagnosis of CM will not be made in the ED, management of a patient with suspected CM includes prompt diagnostic testing and initiation of empiric treatment. Multiple types of newer Cryptococcal antigen tests provide high sensitivity and specificity both in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Patients should be treated empirically for bacterial, fungal, and viral meningitis, specifically with amphotericin B and flucytosine for presumed CM. Additionally, appropriate resuscitation and supportive care, including advanced airway management, management of increased intracranial pressure (ICP), antipyretics, intravenous fluids, and isolation, should be initiated. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) should not be initiated in the ED for those found or known to be HIV-positive for risk of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). CONCLUSIONS: CM remains a rare clinical presentation, but carries significant morbidity and mortality. Physicians must rapidly diagnose these patients while evaluating for other diseases and complications. Early consultation with an infectious disease specialist is imperative, as is initiating symptomatic care. FAU - Fisher, Kathryn Marie AU - Fisher KM AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-2260-8634 AD - Department of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. FAU - Montrief, Tim AU - Montrief T AD - Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 3550 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA. FAU - Ramzy, Mark AU - Ramzy M AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-4056-8536 AD - Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 3550 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA. FAU - Koyfman, Alex AU - Koyfman A AD - Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA. FAU - Long, Brit AU - Long B AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-4770-8869 AD - Department of Emergency Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, 3841 Roger Brooke Dr, Fort Sam Houston, TX, 78234, USA. brit.long@yahoo.com. LA - eng PT - Journal Article PT - Review DEP - 20210109 PL - Italy TA - Intern Emerg Med JT - Internal and emergency medicine JID - 101263418 SB - IM CIN - Intern Emerg Med. 2022 Mar;17(2):599-600. PMID: 34689303 MH - Diagnosis, Differential MH - *Emergency Service, Hospital MH - Evidence-Based Medicine MH - Humans MH - Meningitis, Cryptococcal/*diagnosis/*therapy OTO - NOTNLM OT - Antifungal therapy OT - Antiretroviral therapy OT - Cryptococcosis OT - HIV OT - Immunosuppression OT - Meningitis EDAT- 2021/01/10 06:00 MHDA- 2021/09/22 06:00 CRDT- 2021/01/09 12:06 PHST- 2020/08/16 00:00 [received] PHST- 2020/12/23 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2021/01/10 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2021/09/22 06:00 [medline] PHST- 2021/01/09 12:06 [entrez] AID - 10.1007/s11739-020-02619-2 [pii] AID - 10.1007/s11739-020-02619-2 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Intern Emerg Med. 2021 Jun;16(4):1031-1042. doi: 10.1007/s11739-020-02619-2. Epub 2021 Jan 9.