Purple urine bag syndrome: case report / Síndrome do saco coletor de urina roxo: relato de caso

ABSTRACT A 65-year-old male with a history of urinary tract trauma requiring cystotomy and chronic bladder catheterization, presenting with chronic and uninvestigated changes in the color of the urine bag system, with no urine color change, and positive urine culture for Proteus mirabilis . These characteristics refer to the purple urine bag syndrome, a not weel-known condition, with a benign course in most cases, and associated with urinary tract infection in patients with chronic bladder catheterization. Although it is characterized by marked changes, it is underdiagnosed by healthcare professionals.

RESUMO Homem de 65 anos com história de trauma do sistema urinário, sendo necessário cistotomia e sondagem vesical crônica, apresentando alterações crônicas e não investigadas da cor do sistema coletor de urina, sem alteração da cor da urina, e urocultura positiva para Proteus mirabilis . Tais características remetem à síndrome do saco coletor de urina roxo, uma entidade pouco conhecida, de curso benigno na maioria da vezes, associada à infecção urinária em paciente com cateterismo vesical de demora. Embora seja caracterizada por alterações marcantes, é subdiagnosticada pelos profissionais de saúde.

The first case of Staphylococcus aureus ST398 causing bacteremia in an immunocompromised patient in Greece.

We describe a case of catheter-related bloodstream infection, in a patient with colon cancer, caused by a methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus strain, nontypeable by pulsed field gel electrophoresis of SmaI macrorestriction fragment analysis, belonging to ST398. The patient recovered after daptomycin therapy. This is the first report that documents the emergence of ST398 in Greece.

Totally implantable venous access ports: Retrospective review of long-term complications in 81 patients.

Aim of The Study: A totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP) has become an essential prerequisite for many chemotherapy protocols. It is serving its purpose very well, but its use is not without complications. We are presenting our experience with these devices (TIVAPs). Subjects and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the totally implantable venous access ports in 81 patients at our hospital between January 2009 and March 2011 for long-term problems which include postoperative and follow-up problems, excluding the immediate complications which occur at the time of insertion. Results: Catheter malfunction was the most common complication (9.87%, 0.40/1000 device-days of use/observation). Catheter-related bloodstream infections were present in 5 (6.17%) patients (0.25/1000 device-days of use/observation). The mean life of the catheter was 246 days. Only 11.1% ports required removal during the treatment period. Overall, patients either completed treatment (82.8%) or died (6.1%) while receiving treatment. Conclusion: TIVAPs provide safe and reliable vascular access for patients on chemotherapy but require utmost care by a dedicated team of trained medical professionals and paramedics experienced with the use of such ports, in order to minimize the complications and their continued use while administering treatment.