Coexistence of metastatic thyroid cancer and tuberculosis in a single neck lymph node: a rare association

No abstract available.

IgG4-Related Lung Disease without Elevation of Serum IgG4 Level: A Case Report / 결핵및호흡기질환

Since IgG4-related pancreatitis was first reported in 2001, IgG4-related disease has been identified in other organs such as salivary gland, gallbladder, thyroid, retroperitoneum and kidney; but lung invasion is rare. A 63-year-old man presented with hemoptysis at the pulmonary clinic and chest computed tomography revealed about 4.1 cm irregular shaped mass with spiculated margin at the left upper lobe. Despite no elevation of serum IgG4 level, he was finally diagnosed as IgG4-related lung disease by transthoracic needle biopsy. After treatment with oral glucocorticoids, hemoptysis disappeared and the size of lung mass was decreased.

Risk Factors for Mechanical Ventilation in Patients with Scrub Typhus Admitted to Intensive Care Unit at a University Hospital / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for mechanical ventilation in the patients with scrub typhus admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) at a university hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively selected and analyzed clinical data from the medical records of 70 patients (32 men, 38 women) admitted to the ICU with scrub typhus between 2004 and 2014. The patients had a mean+/-standard deviation age of 71.2+/-11.1 years and were evaluated in two groups: those who had been treated with mechanical ventilation (the MV group, n=19) and those who had not (the non-MV group, n=51). Mean ages of the MV group and the non-MV group were 71.2+/-8.3 years and 71.2+/-11.1 years, respectively. RESULTS: Significant differences between the two groups were observed with respect to acute respiratory failure (p=0.008), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score (p=0.015), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (p=0.013), death (p=0.014), and ICU duration (p<0.01). Multivariate analysis indicated that the following factors were significantly associated with mechanical ventilation: acute respiratory failure (p=0.011), SOFA score (p=0.005), APACHE II score (p=0.011), platelet count (p=0.009), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (p=0.011). CONCLUSION: Thus, five factors-acute respiratory failure, SOFA score, APACHE II score, platelet count, and LDH-can be the meaningful indicators for mechanical ventilation for the patients with scrub typhus admitted to ICU.

Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury after Cesarean Section in a Patient with HELLP Syndrome / 가정의학회지

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a serious adverse reaction of transfusion, and presents as hypoxemia and non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema within 6 hours of transfusion. A 14-year-old primigravida woman at 34 weeks of gestation presented with upper abdominal pain without dyspnea. Because she showed the syndrome of HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count), an emergency cesarean section delivery was performed, and blood was transfused. In the case of such patients, clinicians should closely observe the patient's condition at least during the 6 hours while the patient receives blood transfusion, and should suspect TRALI if the patient complains of respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea. Furthermore, echocardiography should be performed to distinguish between the different types of transfusion-related adverse reactions.

Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage Confirmed by Bronchoalveolar Lavage in a Patient with Hemoptysis after Sildenafil Use for Erectile Dysfunction / 대한구급학회지

A 81-year-old man was referred for respiratory failure by emergency medical technicians. He admitted at intensive care unit for ventilator treatment. Several hours before admission, he took sildenafil 100 mg for erectile dysfunction without prescription. The episodes of hemoptysis occurred several hours later. Computed tomography revealed multifocal diffuse ground-glass attenuation in both lungs. And the more we performed bronchoalveolar lavage, the more the color of it was turned into red. We treated him with empirical antibiotics and tranexamic acid, and hemoptysis was stopped in one day after admission. But in the 5th admission day, he died from sepsis combined with pneumonia caused by Acinetobacter baumannii abruptly.

Agranulocytosis Induced by Ethambutol in a Patient with Pulmonary Tuberculosis / 결핵및호흡기질환

We report a case of agranulocytosis caused by ethambutol in a 79-year-old man with pulmonary tuberculosis. He was referred for fever and skin rash developed on 21th day after antituberculosis drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide) intake. Complete blood count at the time of diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis was normal. On the seventh admission day, agranulocytosis was developed with absolute neutrophil count of 70/microL. We discontinued all antituberculosis drugs, and then treated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Three days later, the number of white blood cell returned to normal. We administered isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol in order with an interval. However, fever and skin rash developed again when adding ethambutol, so we discontinued ethambutol. After these symptoms disappeared, we added rifampicin and ethambutol in order with an interval. However after administering ethambutol, neutropenia developed, so we discontinued ethambutol again. He was cured with isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide for 9 months.

A Case of Acute Kidney Injury in A 62 Year Old Man Who Took Atractylodes Macrocephala Koidzumi

The drug inducing tubulointerstitial nephritis is a crucial cause of acute kidney injury. Use of herbal plants in disease treatment is generally practiced in Korea. Although there are a small number of case reports, tubulointerstitial nephritis caused by taking Atractylodes macrocephala Koidzumi in human has never been reported. A 62-year-old man visited our hospital with symptoms of systemic edema accompanied by reduced urine volume and dyspnea after taking herbal plant 1 week ago. Chest radiographs showed both sided pleural effusion. Blood test results showed elevation of serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine level and urine test results showed hematuria and proteinuria. Renal biopsy result showed evidence of tubulointerstitial nephritis by tubulitis and inflammatory cell expansion in the interstitium was observed. The patient's renal function recovered after administration of active renal replacement treatment and conservative therapy such as supplementation of fluid and electrolytes, and there was no disease recurrence for 1 year. Therefore, this case proved that Atractylodes macrocephala Koidzumi could cause acute kidney injury by the drug induced tubulointerstitial nephritis in human.

Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage Confirmed by Bronchoalveolar Lavage in a Patient with Hemoptysis after Sildenafil Use for Erectile Dysfunction / 대한중환자의학회지

A 81-year-old man was referred for respiratory failure by emergency medical technicians. He admitted at intensive care unit for ventilator treatment. Several hours before admission, he took sildenafil 100 mg for erectile dysfunction without prescription. The episodes of hemoptysis occurred several hours later. Computed tomography revealed multifocal diffuse ground-glass attenuation in both lungs. And the more we performed bronchoalveolar lavage, the more the color of it was turned into red. We treated him with empirical antibiotics and tranexamic acid, and hemoptysis was stopped in one day after admission. But in the 5th admission day, he died from sepsis combined with pneumonia caused by Acinetobacter baumannii abruptly.

Ultrasonographic scoring system score versus liver stiffness measurement in prediction of cirrhosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We compared the cirrhosis-prediction accuracy of an ultrasonographic scoring system (USSS) combining six representative sonographic indices with that of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by transient elastography, and prospectively investigated the correlation between the USSS score and LSM in predicting cirrhosis. METHODS: Two hundred and thirty patients with chronic liver diseases (187 men, 43 women; age, 50.4+/-9.5 y, mean+/-SD) were enrolled in this prospective study. The USSS produces a combined score for nodularity of the liver surface and edge, parenchyma echogenicity, presence of right-lobe atrophy, spleen size, splenic vein diameter, and abnormality of the hepatic vein waveform. The correlations of the USSS score and LSM with that of a pathological liver biopsy (METAVIR scoring system: F0-F4) were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean USSS score and LSM were 7.2 and 38.0 kPa, respectively, in patients with histologically overt cirrhosis (F4, P=0.017) and 4.3 and 22.1 kPa in patients with fibrotic change without overt cirrhosis (F0-F3) (P=0.025). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the USSS score and LSM for F4 patients were 0.849 and 0.729, respectively. On the basis of ROC curves, criteria of USSS > or =6: LSM > or =17.4 had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 89.2%:77.6%, 69.4%:61.4%, 86.5%:83.7%, 74.6%:51.9% and 0.83:0.73, respectively, in predicting F4. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that this USSS has comparable efficacy to LSM in the diagnosis of cirrhosis.

The Relationship Between Radial Artery Depth and Wrist Extension Angle Measured by Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: Radial artery access has been promoted for anesthesia, critical care, and cardiac catheterization. Our aim was to establish the ideal wrist position for radial artery cannulation; thus we performed ultrasound examinations of the radial artery to analyze the effect of the angle of wrist extension on radial artery dimensions. METHODS: Measurements were performed in 30 healthy volunteers. The radial artery diameter and the depth from the skin to the radial artery were measured using an ultrasound technique. Radial artery dimensions were measured at wrist joint angles of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 degrees. RESULTS: The average age was 26.7+/-4.7 years. The mean height and weight were 171.0+/-6.9 cm and 68.3+/-15.1 kg, respectively. The mean width and height of the radial artery was 2.61+/-0.54 mm and 2.21+/-0.42 mm, respectively. The depth from the skin to the radial artery was 4.67+/-1.74 mm at a wrist joint angle of 0 degrees. A strong and direct association was found between body mass index with diameters (width and height length) and depth from the skin to the radial artery at wrist angles of 0 degrees. Repeated measure ANOVA revealed that the depth was affected by the wrist joint angle. Our volunteers were associated with shallower depth as increasing in the wrist joint angle statistical significantly (p=0.001). At wrist angles of 30 and 60 degrees, the depth was shallower than 0 degrees (p=0.027, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that in healthy subjects the depth of the radial artery is shallow when the wrist joint is extended up. A wrist extension at 30 and 60 degrees for healthy subjects results in a decrease in the depth of the radial artery.

Reconstruction of Soft Tissue Defect on Scleroderma Using STSG & Artificial Dermis (Terudermis(R))

Scleroderma is a rare disease characterized by hard and thick skin, due to fibrosis of tissue with excessive deposition of collagen and extracellular matrix. It is well known that sclerodermatous skin does not heal well after trauma and also difficult to select proper reconstruction method. This article presents a treatment of skin and soft tissue defect with tendon exposure in a scleroderma patient using artificial dermis and STSG. A 67-year old woman, diagnosed as localized scleroderma in 2001, had contact thermal burn on her right hand 2 months ago. She was referred due to 9x5 cm sized skin and soft tissue defect with inflammation and necrosis on the dorsum of her right hand. Necrotic and inflammated tissues were excised under local anesthesia and, on postoperative day 13, debridement & artificial dermis (Terudermis(R)) was applied under general anesthesia. Her cutaneous lesion was spread so widely that we couldn't find appropriate donor site. After 16 days, wound was covered with STSG donated from sclerodermatous skin on right thigh. Artificial dermis was taken without inflammation or other specific complications, and she had uneventful post-operative course after STSG.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Lung Cancer Patients Admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit at a University Hospital / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: The management of patients with lung cancer has improved recently, and many of them will require admission to the medical intensive care unit (MICU). The aim of this study was to examine the clinical characteristics and to identify risk factors for mortality in patients with lung cancer admitted to the MICU. METHODS: We conducted retrospective analysis on 88 patients with lung cancer admitted to the MICU between April 2004 and March 2008. RESULTS: Of the 88 patients (mean age, 66 years), 71 patients (80.7%) had non-small cell lung cancer and 17 patients (19.3%) had small cell lung cancer. Distant metastasis were present in 79 patients (89.8%). The main reasons for MICU admission were acute respiratory failure (77.3%), sepsis (11.4%), and central nervous system dysfunction (4.5%). Mechanical ventilation was used in 54 patients (61.4%). Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, length of MICU stay, need for mechanical ventilation, source of MICU admission were correlated with MICU mortality. The type of lung cancer and metastasis were not predictive factors of death in MICU. CONCLUSION: Most common reason for ICU admission was acute respiratory failure. Mortality rate of lung cancer patients admitted to the MICU was 65.9%. APACHE II score, length of ICU stay, need for mechanical ventilation, source of MICU admission were predicted factors of death in the MICU.

A Case of Adult-onset Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP) Combined with Post-infectious Glomerulonephritis (PIGN) / 대한신장학회지

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is a small-vessel vasculitis that are predominantly observed in children, affecting their skin, joints, gut and kidneys. The renal prognosis of HS nephritis is known to be worse in adults than in children. It is defined by tissue deposition of IgA. In most HSP patients, serum complement levels are usually normal. However, some authors reported abnormalities of serum complement levels in children-onset HSP. The authors report here a rare adult-onset case of HSP combined with post-infectious glomerulonephritis, especially hypocomplementemia and subepithelial 'hump'- like electron dense deposits.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Elderly Patients Receiving Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at a University Hospital / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: As the number of older-aged people increases, the number of elderly patients who receive critical care services is expected to increase substantially. The objective of this study was to examine the clinical characteristics and outcomes of elderly patients who receive mechanical ventilation for more than 30 days in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) at a university hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively examined forty-one elderly patients (> or =65 years old) who were receiving mechanical ventilation, from April 2004 to March 2007, for periods exceeding 30 days at the MICU at Eulji University Hospital. RESULTS: The MICU and hospitalmortality rate were 60.9% and 65.9%, respectively. The mean length of the ICU stay was 57.5 days and the mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 49.3 days. The most common reason for MICU admission was acute respiratory failure (73.2%), followed by sepsis (12.2%), neurological problems (9.8%), and gastrointestinal bleeding (4.9%). The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores were higher for the nonsurvivors than for the survivors (28.0 vs. 25.0, respectively, p=0.03). The nonsurvivors received more red blood cell (RBC) transfusions during their ICU stay than did the survivors (84.0% vs. 43.8%, respectively p=0.007). The factors associated with hospital death were the APACHE II score and if the patient had received a RBC transfusion. CONCLUSION: The APACHE II score and a RBC transfusion were predictors of increased hospital mortality for the elderly patients who were on prolonged mechanical ventilation. These predictors may assist physicians to make clinical decisions for this patient population.

A Case of Scrub Typhus Complicating Subdural Hematoma / 감염과화학요법

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and manifested with fever, skin rash, myalgia, and hepatitis etc. Most of patients improve with antibiotics such as doxycycline. The spectrum of the clinical severity ranges from mild to severe with fatal complication such as meningoencephalitis, pneumonitis, myocarditis. We report a case of a 72-year-old man with scrub typhus complicating subdural hematoma.

A case of the Colon Perforated Patient Visited Emergency Department for Pneumomediastinum

Bleeding and perforation are serious and commonly observed complications of colonofibroscopy. Pneumoretroperitoneum and pneumomediastinum are also infrequently reported as complications of colonofibroscopy. Clinical symptoms of pneumomediastinum are variable, with chest pain being the most common symptom, and a definitive diagnosis can be made by chest X-ray. Most cases can be successfully managed with only conservative treatment. Infrequently surgical managements are required. We report an unusual case of pneumoretroperitoneum and pneumomediastinum as a complication of colonofibroscopy. Pneumomediastinum was treated successfully and simply with only antibiotics and fasting.

A Case of Probable Community Acquired Acinetobacter baumannii Pneumonia / 결핵및호흡기질환

No abstract available.

A Case of Scrub Typhus Complicating Subdural Hematoma / 감염과화학요법

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and manifested with fever, skin rash, myalgia, and hepatitis etc. Most of patients improve with antibiotics such as doxycycline. The spectrum of the clinical severity ranges from mild to severe with fatal complication such as meningoencephalitis, pneumonitis, myocarditis. We report a case of a 72-year-old man with scrub typhus complicating subdural hematoma.

Unusual Presentation of Miliary Tuberculosis / 결핵및호흡기질환

No abstract available.