Advice needed on case report submission

[rxfudd]

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So I've been trying to get this case report published for several months on a patient with spontaneous pneumomediastinum. I saw him in the ED when I was a med student on an IM subinternship, he was admitted for a night, and dc'd the next day. I tried to get it published in a handful of IM journals with no success. After I realized that I could publish this in an EM journal (since this bulk of the workup happened in the ED), I submitted to one and it has now been sent to the hanging committee (i.e. not axed off the bat).

Here's the problem: In the description of the case, I originally said that the guy was "observed for a short time and discharged with follow up arrangements", which in an IM journal means overnight admission and out. I failed to change this for the EM submission, so now it looks like we watched him for a couple of hours and sent him home. My concern is that very few EPs would have let him go home, and I don't want it to be scrutinized if it gets published as such.

My choices are to 1) withdraw the paper, fix it, and resubmit, but I'm worried that it will be reviewed by a different editor and rejected immediately (again), or 2) let it go and see what happens.

Sorry to be so long-winded about this, but this is my first time submitting a paper and I'm not sure what is appropriate here. Thanks.

 

[BKN]

So I've been trying to get this case report published for several months on a patient with spontaneous pneumomediastinum. I saw him in the ED when I was a med student on an IM subinternship, he was admitted for a night, and dc'd the next day. I tried to get it published in a handful of IM journals with no success. After I realized that I could publish this in an EM journal (since this bulk of the workup happened in the ED), I submitted to one and it has now been sent to the hanging committee (i.e. not axed off the bat).

Here's the problem: In the description of the case, I originally said that the guy was "observed for a short time and discharged with follow up arrangements", which in an IM journal means overnight admission and out. I failed to change this for the EM submission, so now it looks like we watched him for a couple of hours and sent him home. My concern is that very few EPs would have let him go home, and I don't want it to be scrutinized if it gets published as such.

My choices are to 1) withdraw the paper, fix it, and resubmit, but I'm worried that it will be reviewed by a different editor and rejected immediately (again), or 2) let it go and see what happens.

Sorry to be so long-winded about this, but this is my first time submitting a paper and I'm not sure what is appropriate here. Thanks.

Don't worry about it, you'll have a chance to change it if accepted. However . . . a case report is usually reserved for unique disease presentations or unique to the journals audience. Do you think a spontaneous pneumomediastinum will qualify? Could be a xray of the month case or go to house staff journals.

 

[rxfudd]

Don't worry about it, you'll have a chance to change it if accepted. However . . . a case report is usually reserved for unique disease presentations or unique to the journals audience. Do you think a spontaneous pneumomediastinum will qualify? Could be a xray of the month case or go to house staff journals.

Well, it was spontaneous mediastinum induced by ecstasy ingestion. There are a few cases of this reported, usually in association with rave parties. Proposed mechanisms have been whistle blowing at rave parties, vomiting, "excessive dancing", etc. There is even one report of two girls both coming in with SPM from the same rave. My guy had sex for hours on end after using ecstasy without a hx of a rave, which has not been reported. Bottom line: if you have a pt with chest pain or dyspnea and hx of ecstasy use, keep SPM in the back of your mind.

 

[BKN]

Well, it was spontaneous mediastinum induced by ecstasy ingestion. There are a few cases of this reported, usually in association with rave parties. Proposed mechanisms have been whistle blowing at rave parties, vomiting, "excessive dancing", etc. There is even one report of two girls both coming in with SPM from the same rave. My guy had sex for hours on end after using ecstasy without a hx of a rave, which has not been reported. Bottom line: if you have a pt with chest pain or dyspnea and hx of ecstasy use, keep SPM in the back of your mind.

good luck with it.

 

[uacharya]

So I've been trying to get this case report published for several months on a patient with spontaneous pneumomediastinum. I saw him in the ED when I was a med student on an IM subinternship, he was admitted for a night, and dc'd the next day. I tried to get it published in a handful of IM journals with no success. After I realized that I could publish this in an EM journal (since this bulk of the workup happened in the ED), I submitted to one and it has now been sent to the hanging committee (i.e. not axed off the bat).

Here's the problem: In the description of the case, I originally said that the guy was "observed for a short time and discharged with follow up arrangements", which in an IM journal means overnight admission and out. I failed to change this for the EM submission, so now it looks like we watched him for a couple of hours and sent him home. My concern is that very few EPs would have let him go home, and I don't want it to be scrutinized if it gets published as such.

My choices are to 1) withdraw the paper, fix it, and resubmit, but I'm worried that it will be reviewed by a different editor and rejected immediately (again), or 2) let it go and see what happens.

Sorry to be so long-winded about this, but this is my first time submitting a paper and I'm not sure what is appropriate here. Thanks.

Have you considered submitting it to MDconsult's Student Union. I've submitted several articles there and have had relative ease in getting them published. And btw, they are just as CV worthy as getting them published in a physical journal. At anyrate, goodluck - and I wouldn't withdraw the paper but instead, wait to see the comments from the review committee - and clarify the concern (which most likely will be communicated to you in the article review). Goodluck