ABSTRACT
Acute liver failure has a mortality rate in excess of 80 percent. Most deaths are attributed to brain edema with intracranial hypertension and herniation of structures, where ammonium plays a major role in its generation. We report an 18 year-old female with a fulminant hepatic failure caused by virus A infection. The patient developed a profound sopor and required mechanical ventilation. A CT scan showed the presence of brain edema and intracranial hypertension. A Raudemic® catheter was inserted to measure intracranial pressure and brain temperature. Intracranial hypertension became refractory and intravascular hypothermia was started, reducing brain temperature to 33°C. Seventy two hours later, a liver transplantation was performed. After testing graft perfusion, rewarming was started, completing 122 hours of hypothermia at 33°C. The patient was discharged in good conditions after 69 days of hospitalization.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Female , Humans , Hyperthermia, Induced/methods , Intracranial Hypertension/therapy , Liver Failure, Acute/complications , Intracranial HypertensionABSTRACT
Microcirculation is severely compromised in sepsis, with a reduction of capillary density and flow impairment. These alterations have important prognostic implications, being more severe in non-survivors to septic shock. Today microcirculation may be assessed bedside, non-invasively usingpolarized light videomicroscopy a technique known as SDF (side dark field). We report a 54 year-old man with an extramembranous nephropathy that developed a necrotizing fascitis associated to septic shock, in whom microcirculation was periodically assessed during his management. The patient was treated with Buids, vasoactive drugs, antibiotics and was operated for exploration and debridement. As the patient persisted in refractory shock despite treatment, high-volume hemofiltration was started. Before hemofiltration the patient had severe microcirculatory alterations that improved during and after the procedure. Physiologic endpoints of high-volume hemofiltration in septic shock remain unknown, but it has the capacity to clear inflammatory mediators. Since microcirculatory alterations are in part secondary to these mediators, their removal is beneficial. Like other authors, we found no relation between microcirculation and other haemodynamic and perfusion variables.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Hemofiltration/methods , Microcirculation/physiology , Shock, Septic/therapy , Sublingual Gland/blood supply , Inflammation Mediators/blood , Microscopy, Video/methods , Shock, Septic/bloodABSTRACT
Background: Drug-eluting stents have been developed to reduce the rates of restenosis after coronary angioplasty. Several studies have demonstrated that rapamycin eluting stents are reliable and effective. Aim: To report the experience in our Health Centre with rapamycin-eluting stents. Patients and methods: Forty two stents with rapamicine were implanted to 32 diabetic patients, between June 2002 and December 2004. After the procedure, subjects were clinically followed-up for an average period of 19.9+9.9 months, evaluating functional capacity, angina pectoris, dyspnea, need for hospital admission, acute coronary events and cardiac death. In those subjects clinically suspected to have restenosis, a coronary angiography was performed. Results: Twenty-nine subjects (90.6 percent) remained asymptomatic, two subjects (6.3 percent) developed angina pectoris but restenosis was ruled out, and one subject (3.1 percent) died. Conclusions: The use of rapamycin-eluting stents in these patients was safe and successful with no evidence of clinic restenosis. These positive results are similar to those reported in the Diabetes Study.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Angioplasty , Coronary Stenosis/therapy , Diabetic Angiopathies/therapy , Drug-Eluting Stents , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Sirolimus/therapeutic use , Chi-Square Distribution , Coronary Restenosis/prevention & control , /therapy , Follow-Up Studies , Reproducibility of Results , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
We report a 58 years old male that developed a bone marrow aplasia associated to the use of ticlopidine, prescribed after coronary artery stenting. The patient developed a pneumonia as a complication. He was admitted to the Intermediate Treatment Unit, receiving wide spectrum antimicrobial therapy and a granulocyte colony stimulating factor (Neupogen(r)) with favourable response. Ticlodipine is an effective anti-platelet agent, but has serious hematological and other side effects. Its prescription requires a close follow up and search for complications