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Table of Contents

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Anaesthesia care team improves outcomes in surgical patients compared with solo anaesthesiologist: An observational study

BACKGROUND In anaesthesiology, little attention has been drawn to the role of anaesthesia nurses as support personnel on quality of care. OBJECTIVES To compare the impact of anaesthesia by an anaesthesiologist alone (solo anaesthesiologist) or in combination with an anaesthesia nurse (anaesthesia care team) on 30-day postoperative mortality and hospital length of stay. RESULTS Anaesthesia was performed by solo anaesthesiologists in 2832 patients and by an anaesthesia care team in 2842 patients. The two groups were comparable in respect of sex and duration of anaesthesia but differed notably for age, American Society of Anesthesiologists' physical status score and type of surgery. Propensity score matching was performed by logistic regression to adjust for baseline differences between the two groups and 2095 pairs of perfectly matched patients were formed. The latter evidenced a significantly lower 30-day mortality rate for the anaesthesia care team compared with solo anaesthesiologists (0.76 vs. 1.56%, P = 0.0014). Length of hospital stay was also significantly reduced when an anaesthesia nurse was present (4.9 ± 10.1 vs. 5.6 ± 11.5 days, P = 0.0011). CONCLUSION Anaesthesia given by the combination of an anaesthesiologist and an anaesthesia nurse is associated with decreased 30-day postoperative mortality and shorter length of stay when compared with a solo anaesthesiologist. Even if without any demonstration of causality, this emphasises the benefits of the anaesthesia care team model. TRIAL REGISTRATION CCB 325201730849. Correspondence to Patrice Forget, Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 24773058; e-mail: forgetpatrice@yahoo.fr Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal's Website (https://ift.tt/2ylyqmW). © 2018 European Society of Anaesthesiology

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Use of Noninvasive Ventilation with Volume-Assured Pressure Support to Avoid Tracheostomy in Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder in children but can occasionally present with life-threatening hypoxemia. Obesity is a significant risk factor for poor outcomes of OSA treatment. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is indicated in children who are not candidates for or have an unsatisfactory response to adenotonsillectomy. Children acutely at risk for significant morbidity with other therapies are candidates for a tracheostomy. An eight-year-old patient with morbid obesity and severe OSA refractory to CPAP therapy was treated successfully with a novel noninvasive ventilation (NIV) mode with volume-assured pressure support (VAPS) and avoided tracheostomy.

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DRESS syndrome-associated acute necrotizing eosinophilic myocarditis with giant cells

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is an uncommon drug hypersensitivity reaction caused by a wide variety of agents. It has a characteristic latent period between 2 and 8 weeks from the onset of drug ingestion followed by a slow resolution with the potential for relapse. Despite being a potentially fatal disease, little is understood about its variable clinical presentation and why it can present long after removal of the offending drug. Visceral organ involvement typically occurs, but rarely results in clinically manifested cardiac injury. In its most aggressive form, acute necrotizing eosinophilic myocarditis (ANEM) can present with DRESS. We present an unusual case of DRESS syndrome due to lamotrigine with confirmed ANEM showing both eosinophils and rare giant cell infiltrates on endomyocardial biopsy. Although lamotrigine has been reported to cause DRESS, it has not been previously implicated as a cause of ANEM.

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Visual deficit possibly caused by lutetium-177 PSMA treatment

This report describes a case of a 54-year-old man who underwent lutetium-177-PSMA therapy in the setting of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in the University Medical Center Utrecht. Following administration of the second cycle, patient presented with a slowly impairing, bilateral visual loss. This clinical presentation was most likely the result of the high intracranial pressure due to impediment of cerebrospinal fluid circulation, possibly related to obstructive dural thickness, being either caused by dural and/or leptomeningeal metastases of advanced mCRPC or by local radiation effects following lutetium-177-PSMA therapy. Describing this case, we aim to add to the discussion on ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA safety, in which prospective research will ultimately offer definite answers.

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Lady with 'lobster claw feet

A 94-year-old woman admitted with confusion secondary to a urinary tract infection exhibited deformities in all four limbs that were present from birth. Her appearance was suggestive of split hand/split foot malformation a rare congenital condition that affects the central rays of the distal limb portion. She had no syndromic features and had lived without support or assistance of her daily activities. A keen knitter, she regularly knitted for her three grandchildren, all of which, along with her son, were unaffected by this condition.

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Fluoxetine overdose in a teenager resulting in serotonin syndrome, seizure and delayed onset rhabdomyolysis

A 14-year-old young adult took an overdose of 1.2 g of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that he had been prescribed for depression. He had a generalised tonic/clonic seizure at 6 hours postingestion.

After the seizure, he developed signs consistent with serotonin syndrome: fine tremor, agitation, sweating and hyperreflexia. This was followed by severe muscle pain and rhabdomyolysis with peak creatine kinase (CK) of 33 941 at 74 hours. He was managed with intravenous fluids and analgesia and discharged after 4 days, having avoided renal injury. The use of SSRI's such as fluoxetine in teenagers has increased in recent years. While it is generally considered benign in overdose, this report illustrates the severe consequences of overdose at high quantities and discusses appropriate management in these cases. We note that in this case, there was a delayed onset of rhabdomyolysis with peak CK at 74 hours postingestion.

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Severe pneumonitis refractory to steroids following anti-PD-1 immunotherapy

Anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitors enhance the antitumour activity of the immune system and have produced durable tumour responses in several solid tumours including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, PD-1 inhibitors can lead to immune-related adverse events , including pneumonitis, which is typically mild, but can be severe and potentially fatal. Pneumonitis often resolves with steroids, but some cases are steroid refractory, leading to a relapsing and remitting course in milder cases or the need for salvage therapies in more severe cases. Here, we present two patients with NSCLC who developed severe pneumonitis following therapy with nivolumab and pembrolizumab. While one patient improved with steroids and infliximab, the other patient failed to respond to steroids and subsequently died. These cases demonstrate the highly variable presentation and therapeutic responses seen in patients with pneumonitis following anti-PD-1 therapy and illustrate that severe cases can often present refractory to steroid therapy.

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Two distinct histological Richters transformations 23 years apart in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

A 53-year-old man with a 1-year history of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) presented with a left bicep mass. Biopsy and staging workup revealed Richter's transformation (RT) Ann Arbor stage 1E diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the bicep. The patient was treated with combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, Vincristine and prednisone followed by site radiation and did well thereafter. His CLL progressed and required treatment on two more occasions 11 and 18 years after his initial diagnosis with fludarabine, Cytoxan and Rituxan and then with bendamustine and rituximab. 23 years after initial presentation, he developed diffuse lymphadenopathy and B-symptoms. A biopsy of an enlarged cervical lymph node demonstrated only CLL for which he was started on ibrutinib. Treatment was shortly discontinued thereafter due to intolerance and worsening symptoms. A second biopsy was performed which revealed concurrent CLL and Hodgkin's lymphoma representing a second and histologically distinct RT.

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Ascites with hepatic extravasation of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) secondary to umbilical venous catheter (UVC) malposition in an extremely preterm baby

The ease of access and advantages of a secure central line makes use of umbilical venous catheter (UVC) and umbilical artery catheters a part of the standard of care in the extremely premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. However, there are complications associated with their use. One of the uncommon complications reported is total parenteral nutrition (TPN) ascites secondary to vessel perforation or hepatic erosion by the tip of the catheter due to malposition of a UVC. We present here a case of such catheter perforation causing ascites and right hepatic collection of TPN in a 28-week-old infant. Abdominal paracentesis was therapeutic by relieving the distension as well as confirming the presence of parenteral nutrition in the peritoneal cavity.

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Case of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms secondary to vancomycin

Description 

A 38-year-old man with a medical history of hepatitis C presented with a 2-day pruritic rash. It started on his back and generalised within 2 days. The patient had been on vancomycin for the last 3 weeks due to a recent diagnosis of osteomyelitis. He was not taking other medications. On physical examination, a diffuse blanching maculopapular exanthema was noted (figure 1A and B) associated to facial angioedema and palpable axillary and inguinal lymph nodes. Laboratory evaluation was relevant for leucocytosis with neutrophilia and eosinophilia, mild elevation of liver function tests and peripheral blood smear revealing atypical lymphocytes (figure 2). Skin biopsy demonstrated superficial perivascular dermatitis with papillary dermal oedema (figure 3). Diagnosis of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) was made. Vancomycin was suspended and daptomycin was initiated. He also received treatment with high-dose antihistamines and systemic corticosteroids. Follow-up...

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Cerebral fat embolism syndrome (FES): similar cases with different outcomes

Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is a rare multisystem, clinical syndrome occurring in 0.9%–2.2% of long-bone fractures. The severity of FES can vary from subclinical with mild respiratory changes and haematological aberrations to a fulminant state characterised by sudden onset of severe respiratory and neurological impairment. Here we present two patients with cerebral FES secondary to femur fracture. Both patients exhibited profound neurological impairment with varied outcomes. Our cases highlight the importance of a high clinical suspicion of FES in patients with long-bone fractures and neurological deterioration. We recommend early plate osteosynthesis to prevent additional emboli in patients with FES and situational placement of intracranial pressure monitoring. Finally, cerebral FES has low mortality even in a patient with tentorial herniation and fixed, dilated pupils.

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