Case of pneumomediastinum due to alveolar rupture following endotracheal intubation

Description 

A 57-year-old woman presented to the outpatient department with complaints of shortness of breath and fever for the past 2 days. She had no known comorbidities. She was admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) in view of type 1 respiratory failure. Initial chest X-ray showed bilateral lower zone non-homogenous opacity (figure 1A). She was initially managed with antibiotics and non-invasive ventilation. However, due to worsening respiratory failure and metabolic acidosis, patient was intubated. Postintubation, patient was connected to a ventilator in volume control mode with fraction of inspired oxygen of 90%, Positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 10, tidal volume of 350 mL, respiratory set rate of 20 and the ratio of duration of inspiration to the duration of expiration (I:E ratio) of 1:3.3. Chest X-ray repeated following intubation showed features suggestive of pneumomediastinum (figure 1B). The CT thorax done post intubation showed pneumoprecardium (

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Pigmentary retinopathy in Kearns-Sayre syndrome

Description 

An 11-year-old girl with moderate ptosis and chronic progressive ophthalmoplegia (figure 1) was referred for retinal evaluation in view of nyctalopia. Visual acuity on presentation was 20/40 OU. Slit-lamp examination revealed a normal anterior segment. There was no similar family history. Multicolour scanning laser photographs (figure 2A, B) showed retinal pigment granularity in OU that was better appreciated on autofluorescence imaging as speckled hypoautofluorescence and hyperautofluorescence (figure 2C, D). Horizontal spectral domain optical coherence tomography scans through fovea revealed hyper-reflective deposits above the retinal pigment epithelium (figure 2E, F). Systemic workup revealed the gross motor weakness of both upper and lower limbs, mild hearing loss and no cardiac conduction defects. The patient was referred to a paediatric neurologist for further evaluation. Cerebrospinal fluid tap was done which showed elevated lactate (3.10 mg/dL) and protein levels (96 mg/dL). ECG showed no conduction blocks. A muscle biopsy showed...

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Lipemia Retinalis, Macular Edema, and Vision Loss in a Diabetic Patient with a History of Type IV Hypertriglyceridemia and Pancreatitis

Background: Lipemia retinalis is a rare but known complication of elevated serum triglycerides. This case describes the clinical course of a diabetic patient who presented with lipemia retinalis and macular edema, which responded to systemic and local treatments. Case Report: A 40-year-old female with a history of type II diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia, and pancreatitis presented with decreased vision in the left eye. She had peripapillary and macular edema, intraretinal hemorrhages, and prominent exudates in the setting of lipemia retinalis due to type IV hypertriglyceridemia. She was treated with serial intravitreal bevacizumab injections for macular edema and systemic lipid lowering therapy, and her visual acuity improved back to baseline. Conclusions: In the setting of lipemia retinalis and hypertriglyceridemia, the current patient developed macular edema and vision loss. The macular edema was treated with intravitreal injections of bevacizumab, and the patient experienced a rapid recovery of visual acuity.
Case Rep Ophthalmol 2018;9:425–430

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Robotic renal cyst decortication with calyceal diverticulectomy in a toddler – technical practicalities: a case report

Incidence of simultaneous renal cyst with calyceal diverticula in contralateral kidney is rare in children. A minimally invasive procedure in different sittings is often recommended.

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Correction to: Neural therapy of an athlete’s chronic plantar fasciitis: a case report and review of the literature

In the publication of this article [1], there are reference errors in four positions the respective references are missing since reference Fischer [26] was omitted.

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A Survey On Fever Monitoring and Management in Patients With Acute Brain Injury: The SUMMA Study

Background: Fever is common in patients with acute brain injury and worsens secondary brain injury and clinical outcomes. Currently, there is a lack of consensus on the definition of fever and its management. The aims of the survey were to explore: (a) fever definitions, (b) thresholds to trigger temperature management, and (c) therapeutic strategies to control fever. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire (26 items) was made available to members of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine via its website between July 2016 and December 2016. Results: Among 231 respondents, 193 provided complete responses to the questionnaire (84%); mostly intensivists (n=124, [54%]). Body temperature was most frequently measured using a bladder probe (n=93, [43%]). A large proportion of respondents considered fever as a body temperature >38.3°C (n=71, [33%]). The main thresholds for antipyretic therapy were 37.5°C (n=74, [34%]) and 38.0°C (n=86, [40%]); however, lower thresholds (37.0 to 37.5°C) were targeted in cases of intracranial hypertension and cerebral ischemia. Among first-line methods to treat fever, ice packs were the most frequently utilized physical method (n=90, [47%]), external nonautomated system was the most frequent utilized device (n=49, [25%]), and paracetamol was the most frequently utilized drug (n=135, [70%]). Among second-line methods, intravenous infusion of cold fluids was the most frequently utilized physical method (n=68, [35%]), external computerized automated system was the most frequently utilized device (n=75, [39%]), and diclofenac was the most frequently utilized drug (n=62, [32%]). Protocols for fever control and shivering management were available to 83 (43%) and 54 (28%) of respondents, respectively. Conclusions: In this survey we identified substantial variability in fever definition and application of temperature management in acute brain injury patients. These findings may be helpful in promoting educational interventions and in designing future studies on this topic. E.P. and F.S.T. were involved in the study design, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting of manuscript, and critical revision. M.O. was involved in study design, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting of manuscript, and critical revision. L.P. and R.H. were involved in study design, drafting of manuscript, and critical revision. F.S.T. is a lecturer for BARD. F.S.T. is the Chair of the Neuro-Intensive Care (NIC) section of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). R.H. is a lecturer and received congress support from Bard and Zoll. R.H. is a steering committee member for the INTREPID study supported by Bard. L.P. is the Deputy Chair of the NIC section of the ESICM. The remaining authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose. Address correspondence to: Edoardo Picetti, MD, Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Parma University Hospital, Via Gramsci 14, 43100 Parma, Italy (e-mail: edoardopicetti@hotmail.com). Received March 9, 2018 Accepted August 16, 2018 Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved

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The Effect of Ultra–low-dose Intrathecal Naloxone on Pain Intensity After Lumbar Laminectomy With Spinal Fusion: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Despite advances in pain management, several patients continue to experience severe acute pain after lumbar spine surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of single ultra–low-dose intrathecal (IT) naloxone in combination with IT morphine for reducing pain intensity, pruritus, nausea, and vomiting in patients undergoing lumbar laminectomy with spinal fusion. Materials and Methods: In this double-blind trial, patients scheduled for lumbar laminectomy with spinal fusion were randomly assigned to receive single ultra–low-dose IT naloxone (20 μg) and IT morphine (0.2 mg) (group M+N) or IT morphine (0.2 mg) alone (group M). The severity of postoperative pain, pruritus and nausea, and frequency of vomiting were assessed at recovery from anesthesia and, subsequently, at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively using an 11-point (0-10) visual analogue scale. Results: A total of 77 patients completed the study, and there were significant differences in postoperative pain, pruritus, and nausea visual analogue scale between the groups (P

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