ABSTRACT
Leptospirosis is a world-spread zoonosis that is incidentally acquired by humans. It causes a diphasic febrile illness in which the Weil syndrome is its severest form, with renal, hepatic, clotting and central nervous system involvement. We report a 73 years old male, that was admitted to an intensive care unit with multiple organ failure due to leptospirosis. The clinical picture initially resembled a sepsis due to biliary tract obstruction and was operated, not finding a biliary tract obstruction. Considering the history of a fall to sewed waters, leptospirosis was suspected and treatment with penicillin was started, obtaining a full recovery of the patient
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Aged , Leptospirosis/complications , Multiple Organ Failure/etiology , Penicillins/administration & dosage , Leptospira/pathogenicity , Leptospirosis/drug therapyABSTRACT
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to systemic injury has a high mortality. Symptomatic treatment with mechanical ventilation, PEEP and high levels of inspired oxygen is effective for most of the patients. When ventilatory support fails in reversing hypoxemia, extracorporeal respiratory assistance has been advocated as a temporary treatment until lung repair occurs. We described our experience in eleven patients (9M, 2F, 41ñ16 yo) with severe ARDS refractory to conventional treatment and expected to die if not assisted with extracorporeal oxugenation. All patients required invasive monitoring; seven needed continuous renal therapy because of concurrent renal failure. Venous-venous percutaneous cannulation and systemic anticoagulation were performed and axtracorporeal oxygenation and CO2 removal started with blood pump flows of 20 to 30 percent of patient cardiac output. Improved oxygenation and decreased CO2 levels were immediately observed in 10/11 patients. One patient failed to have reversal of hypoxemia because recirculation and died shortly after initiation of extracorporeal therapy. Plasma leak syndrome and bleeding were observed in 3 and 2 patients respectively. Extracorporeal assistance was mantained for 52ñ34 h (19-134). Five (45 percent) patients were weaned off the pump and two (18 percent) survived and were discharged. Despite the high cos, extracorporeal respiratory assistance, when applied to selected patients, can reverse hypoxia and may save some previously unsalvagable patients allowing them to return to a normal life
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Respiration, Artificial/methods , Respiratory Distress Syndrome/therapy , Acute Disease , Multiple Trauma/complications , Ventilators, MechanicalABSTRACT
La buprenorfina, de reciente introducción en nuestro medio, es un agonista parcial de los receptores opioides del subtipo µ con gran biodisponibilidad al ser administrada por vía sublingual (s.1) y larga duración de acción. El propósito del trabajo fue evaluar la calidad de la analgesia producida por la buprenorfina s.1 en el postoperatorio de pacientes sometidas a cirugía ginecológica, comparándola con un esquema de meperidina intramuscular (i.m.). Estudiamos en forma prospectiva, randomizada y doble ciego 27 pacientes (42 ñ 9 años), ASA i-II, sometidas a cirugía ginecológica electiva bajo anestesia general. Luego de la inducción anestésica, las pacientes fueron randomizadas en: grupo 1 (n= 12) que recibió meperidina 100 mg i.m. (intraoperatorio) y luego 50 mg i.m. c/6 horas por 48 horas; y, el grupo 2 (n= 15) que reciió buprenorfina 0,3 mg i.m. (intraoperatorio) y luego 0,2 mg s.1 c/6 horas por 48 horas en el posoperatorio. En caso de dolor se administró clonixino 100 mg i.v. a solicitud de la paciente. La evaluación posoperatoria duró 72 horas. Los pacientes que recibieron buprenorfina, tuvieron menos dolor durante todo el período en estudio que las pacientes del grupo meperidina, siendo esta diferencia significativa sólo a las 6 horas (p= 0,024). No hubo diferencias significativas en los requerimientos d clonixino, así como en el nivel de sedación, náuseas y vómitos, parámetros hemodinámicos y frecuencia respiratoria entre ambos grupos. Dos pacientes, una de cada grupo, presentaron depresión ventilaroria clínica (frecuencia respiratoria < 10 por minuto) sin problemas posteriores. Si bien beprenorfina s.1 como meperidina i.m. ofrecen un alivio adecuado del dolor después de cirugía ginecológica, la anagesia producida por la buprenorfina es superior con una incidencia similar de efectos adversos. La buprenorfina, por su facilidad de administración, se presenta como una buena alternativa para el manejo del dolor posoperatorio en cirugía de abdomen bajo