11/199. Libman-Sacks endocarditis in a pregnant woman with acute respiratory distress syndrome.BACKGROUND: Sterile fibrinous vegetations on the mitral valve (Libman-Sacks endocarditis) might be found in one-third of patients with antiphospholipid antibodies. Usually of minor hemodynamic significance, these vegetations might complicate acute respiratory distress syndrome in pregnancy. CASE: Despite delivery and aggressive medical therapy, a 17-year-old primigravida with pyelonephritis and acute respiratory distress syndrome suffered rapid decompensation. echocardiography showed mitral valve vegetations with severe regurgitation. blood cultures were negative, but antinuclear antibody test and lupus anticoagulant were positive. The patient died of massive cerebral infarction and brainstem herniation. autopsy found a patent foramen ovale and Libman-Sacks endocarditis. CONCLUSION: With rapid decompensation of acute respiratory distress syndrome in pregnancy, despite aggressive medical therapy, complicating processes must be considered, especially with antiphospholipid antibodies, which can be associated with sterile heart vegetations and subsequent fatal thromboembolism.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
12/199. Traumatic hemorrhage of occult pheochromocytoma: a case report and review of the literature.pheochromocytoma usually presents with gradual onset and mild to moderate symptoms, but may present acutely with severe symptoms. hemorrhage into pheochromocytoma is a rare cause of acute presentation that is often devastating to patients. We describe the case of a 34-year-old woman with hemorrhage into a previously undiscovered pheochromocytoma following a fall on a patch of ice. This is the first reported case of hemorrhagic pheochromocytoma associated with traumatic injury. Despite removal of the tumor within 18 hours of presentation, the patient suffered severe complications of massive catecholamine excess, including shock, cardiomyopathy, and adult respiratory distress syndrome. Animal studies have shown that early treatment with alpha blockers can prevent some, if not all of these complications. Proper management of hemorrhagic pheochromocytoma should include a high index of suspicion with early diagnosis and treatment with alpha blockers and surgical resection of the tumor when the patient is stable enough to tolerate the procedure.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 40.235124097138keywords = injury, trauma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
13/199. Transfusion-related acute lung injury associated with interdonor incompatibility for the neutrophil-specific antigen HNA-1a.BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A patient transfused with two pooled platelet concentrates became breathless. Bilateral infiltrates were seen on chest X-ray. A diagnosis of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) was made. The patient received 100% oxygen and recovered after 5 days. MATERIALS AND methods: Antibody screening, cross-matching for granulocyte and lymphocyte antibodies and typing for granulocyte antigens was undertaken. RESULTS: The patient typed as HNA-1b/HNA-1b. Granulocyte and lymphocyte antibodies were not detected in the patient's serum or in any of the donor sera by cross-match. In antibody screening against typed panel granulocytes, complement-fixing anti-HNA-1a IgM antibodies were detected in the serum of one female donor. Two of the other donors who contributed to the pooled platelet concentrate containing the HNA-1a IgM antibodies typed as HNA-1a/HNA-1b. CONCLUSION: Anti-HNA-1a IgM antibodies may have formed immune complexes with white cell fragments or soluble FcgammaRIII from HNA-1a donors in the pooled platelet concentrate and initiated TRALI.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 199.84783689914keywords = injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
14/199. adult respiratory distress syndrome occurring in two patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery plus perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy: case reports and a review of the literature.Cytoreductive surgery and perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy with mitomycin C and 5-fluorouracil may be considered as an accepted treatment for appendiceal malignancy with mucinous peritoneal carcinomatosis or for pseudomyxoma peritonei. This aggressive approach has been successfully utilized in approximately 500 patients with an acceptable mortality (1.5%) and morbidity (27%). Although pulmonary complications are frequently recorded, life-endangering acute respiratory failure in the absence of pulmonary infection or an obvious source of systemic sepsis has not been previously described. An extensive clinical review of two patients who had a clinical course compatible with acute respiratory distress syndrome without obvious cause except for the cytoreductive surgery and perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy itself was undertaken. These two patients developed gradually increasing respiratory distress in the postoperative period. No bacterial or fungal infections of lungs or intra-abdominal sites or sepsis were discovered. These two patients were unusual in that they had extensive cytoreduction, maximal heat with the mitomycin C chemotherapy, and perfusion of both the abdominal cavity and the right pleural space. reoperation in both patients failed to show a septic source within the abdomen for progressive adult respiratory distress syndrome. We conclude that aggressive cytoreductive surgery plus perioperative intraperitoneal and intrapleural chemotherapy was associated with life-endangering respiratory failure in two patients. No other cause for this condition was evident from an exhaustive review of the clinical course of these two patients. It is possible that this aggressive approach to appendix malignancy with carcinomatosis is sufficiently traumatic to be considered a cause of adult respiratory distress syndrome.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.26555671730902keywords = trauma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
15/199. Severe acute lung injury caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae: potential role for steroid pulses in treatment.Published evidence of pathogenetic mechanisms of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in mycoplasmal lung infections suggests that the pulmonary injury is related to a cell-mediated immune response. Therefore, steroids may play a role in the treatment of severe cases. We describe a patient who had mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia that progressed to severe ARDS requiring mechanical ventilation and who had improvement with prednisolone pulses.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 199.84783689914keywords = injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
16/199. Lung collapse during low tidal volume ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome.BACKGROUND: Current ventilator management for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) incorporates low tidal volume (V(T)) ventilation in order to limit ventilator-induced lung injury. Low V(T) ventilation in supine patients, without the use of intermittent hyperinflations, may cause small airway closure, progressive atelectasis, and secretion retention. Use of high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels with low V(T) ventilation may not counter this effect, because regional differences in intra-abdominal hydrostatic pressure may diminish the volume-stabilizing effects of PEEP. CASE SUMMARY: A 35-year-old man with abdominal compartment syndrome (intra-abdominal pressure > 48 cm H2O developed ARDS and was treated with V(T) of 4.5 mL/kg and PEEP of 20 cm H2O. Despite aggressive fluid therapy, appropriate airway humidification and tracheal suctioning, the patient developed complete bronchial obstruction, involving the entire right lung and left upper lobe. After bronchoscopy the patient was placed on a higher V(T) (7.0 mL/kg). Intermittent PEEP was instituted at 30 cm H2O for 2 breaths every 3 minutes. This intermittently raised the end-inspiratory plateau pressure from 38 cm H2O to 50 cm H2O. With the same airway humidity and tracheal suctioning practices bronchial obstruction did not reoccur. CONCLUSION: Low V(T) ventilation in ARDS may increase the risk of small airway closure and retained secretions. This adverse effect highlights the importance of pulmonary hygiene measures in ARDS during lung-protective ventilation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 39.969567379828keywords = injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
17/199. Airway pressure release ventilation and prone positioning in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.BACKGROUND: Implementation of lung protective strategy in the treatment of severe Acute Respiratory Distress syndrome (ARDS) has been reported to be associated with improved outcome. To fulfil this approach, sedation, neuromuscular blocking agents and full mechanical ventilatory support are often used in critical failure of gas exchange. CASE REPORT: We present a patient who developed multiple organ failure, including severe ARDS, after severe skin injuries and septic shock. Ventilatory strategy consisted of lung protective approach, permissive hypercapnia and prone positioning. Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) with the patient's superimposed spontaneous breathing was implemented and maintained, also during prone episodes. Improvement of gas exhange occurred after application of combined use of APRV and prone positioning. CONCLUSION: APRV and maintenance of patients' spontaneous ventilation is feasible during prone positioning, and this approach may have beneficial synergistic effects on gas exhange in patients with severe acute lung injury.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 39.969567379828keywords = injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
18/199. Severe pulmonary barotrauma.Pulmonary barotrauma is a well-known but rarely seen complication of mechanical intermittent positive pressure ventilation. It is thought to be related to raised pressures within alveoli which lead to their eventual rupture and the subsequent development of respiratory embarrassment. Mishaps related to faulty one-way valves in the self-inflating, bag-ventilation devices commonly used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can, although rarely, lead to severe barotrauma. In this report, we describe a case of pulmonary barotrauma that appeared to be related to the "locking" of the "Ambu" bag's one-way valve in the inspiratory position during routine CPR.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.8588970211631keywords = trauma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
19/199. Trauma in the cirrhotic patient.Cirrhotic patients requiring emergency abdominal surgery exhibit a significant increase in mortality. Unlike the elective surgical patient in whom there is often the opportunity to control ascites, improve nutritional status, and correct coagulation abnormalities, the trauma patient may need to undergo immediate emergency surgery to control bleeding or contamination. The operation may present significant technical difficulties in achieving hemostasis. Indicators of poor outcome at admission include ascites, hyperbilirubinemia, elevated prothrombin time, multiple injuries, and blunt abdominal trauma requiring celiotomy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.53111343461804keywords = trauma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
20/199. Transfusion-related acute lung injury after the infusion of IVIG.BACKGROUND: Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a well-characterized, serious complication of blood component therapy in hospitalized patients. The signs and symptoms are often attributed to other clinical aspects of a patient's condition, and therefore TRALI may go unrecognized. IVIG is a pooled plasma derivative commonly used in the outpatient setting. Respiratory complications of IVIG infusion have typically been attributed to volume overload or allergic and vasomotor reactions. TRALI has never been documented to occur after IVIG infusion. CASE REPORT: A 23-year-old man with multifocal motor neuropathy developed noncardiogenic pulmonary edema 6 hours after receiving 90 g of IVIG by a rapid-infusion protocol. He fully recovered in 5 days with nasal oxygen and bed rest. Granulocyte-associated IgG was detected in his blood 14 and 27 weeks after the event. The lots of IVIG that he received were found to contain a low-titer, panreactive, granulocyte antibody, mostly IgG. CONCLUSION: This is the first documented case of TRALI after IVIG infusion. An autoimmune syndrome, including autoantibody-coated granulocytes, may have been a priming stimulus for granulocyte interaction with pulmonary capillary endothelium. Rapid infusion of a large quantity of granulocyte antibody may have precipitated TRALI. A pooled plasma product or derivative may result in TRALI.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 199.84783689914keywords = injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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