Adición de un cortocircuito arterio-venoso durante el soporte vital extracorpóreo veno-arterial de un paciente con síndrome cardiopulmonar por Hantavirus: Caso clínico / Addition of an arterio-venous shunt during veno-arterial extracorporeal life support in a patient with Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome

A subgroup of patients infected with the Hantavirus develops a pulmonary syndrome (HPS) characterized by severe acute respiratory failure and myocardial depression, that has a high mortality rate. Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) could be a valuable therapeutic tool in such patients. We report a 24 years old male with HPS that was successfully managed when an arterio-venous shunt was added to a conventional veno-arterial ECLS technique. Precise criteria have been developed to predict which patients should be considered for this treatment.

Neumonía adquirida en la comunidad: comunicación de 8 casos de neumonía grave por legionella pneumophila serogrupo 1 en Chile / Community acquired pneumonia: report of 8 cases of severe pneumonia caused by legionella pneumophila seroproup 1 in Chile

Legionella pneumophila is the second cause of severe community acquired pneumonia. In Chile, however, there are few reports of pneumonia caused by Legionella. We report eight patients (6 men, aged 42 to 72 years old) with community-acquired pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, confirmed by the measurement of urinary antigen. Clinical presentation was characterized by fever or hypothermia (in one case), cough, dyspnea and neurological abnormalities in four patients. Cigarette smoking was the most frequently identified risk factor. All patients had at least one American Thoracic Society severity criteria. Complications observed were acute hypoxemic respiratory failure in seven patients, shock in four, renal failure in four and need for mechanical ventilation in three. No patient died