Muerte encefálica: la necesidad de una causa suficiente y necesaria: a propósito de un caso de deseferentación completa por síndrome de Guillain Barré / Brain death: the need for sufficient and necessary cause: apropos of a complete deseferentation case from Guillain Barre syndrome

La muerte encefálica es una causa válida en la certificación del deceso de un paciente, especialmente en condiciones de donación de órganos. Existen escasas situaciones en las que el legislador ha propuesto la realización de exámenes complementarios para su certificación. Presentamos el caso de un paciente con un síndrome de Guillain Barré, que llegó a simular un estado de muerte encefálica, debido al compromiso motor completo, incluyendo musculatura ocular intrínseca. La falta de una condición suficiente y necesaria para declarar la muerte del paciente lleva a la solicitud de exámenes complementarios, en este caso un electroencefalograma, los que determinan la normalidad de la actividad eléctrica cerebral. Se recalca la necesidad de cumplir estrictamente los criterios para determinar la muerte encefálica y el no inhibirse de solicitar exámenes complementarios en condiciones de duda, aún cuando la ley no siempre lo contemple.

Brain death is a valid cause of death certification in a patient, especially in terms of organ donation. There are few situations in which the legislator has proposed further examination for certification. We report the case of a patient with Guillain Barré syndrome, which came to simulate a state of brain death due to motor impairment in full, including intrinsic ocular muscles. The lack of a necessary and sufficient condition for declaring the patient's death led to request additional examinations, in this case an electroencephalogram, which determine the normality of brain electrical activity. It emphasizes the need to comply strictly with the criteria for determining brain death and not to request additional examinations inhibited in a position of doubt, even though the law does not always contemplated.

Plasmaféresis indicada por enfermedad neurológica: experiencia de 140 procedimientos en 47 pacientes / Plasmapheresis in neurological diseases: experience in 140 procedures in 47 patients

Background: Plasmapheresis can be useful in myasthenia gravis, Guillain BarrÚ syndrome and chronic demyelinating inflamatory polyradiculoneuritis. Aim: To report our experience with plasmapheresis in patients with neurological diseases. Material and methods: Retrospective review of plasmapheresis procedures done between 1995 and 2001, in a public hospital. Indications criteria, clinical results and technical yield were analyzed. Results: One hundred fifty nine procedures were reviewed. One hundred forty (88 percent) were indicated for neurological diseases (44 percent for Guillain BarrÚ syndrome and 29 percent for myasthenia gravis). Clinical improvement or eventual complications were avoided in 70 percent of patients with Guillain BarrÚ syndrome and 100 percent of patients with myasthenia gravis. Hypotension in 10 percent and paresthesias in 7 percent were observed. All complications were successfully controlled with crystalloid or fresh plasma infusions or citrate management. In 11 cases, the procedure was interrupted due to obstruction of the venous access, that was peripheral in eight of these. The most common difficulties of the procedure were delay in performing it in 50 percent of patients and insufficient exchange volumes in 30 percent. Conclusions: Plasmapheresis was safe and useful in patients with myasthenia gravis and Guillain BarrÚ syndrome. The drawbacks of the procedure are its costs and requirement of special equipment (Rev MÚd Chile 2004; 132: 295-8).

Estados de hipercoagulabilidad heredados y trombosis venosa cerebral: experiencia en 3 casos / Cerebral venous thrombosis in hereditary hypercoagulability: report of three cases

Hereditary hypercoagulability has been identified as risk factor in approximately 30 percent of cerebral venous thrombosis cases. We report three females with this association. A 38 years old female with a history of deep venous thrombosis of the lower limb, presented with headache, vomiting and a generalized seizure. Magnetic resonance angiography showed a partial thrombosis of the left lateral and superior longitudinal venous sinuses. Coagulation study showed a resistance to activated C protein and factor V Leyden. A 42 years old woman with a history of deep venous thrombosis, presented a right hemiplegia during a hospitalization. Magnetic resonance showed a left lateral hemorrhagic infarction. Magnetic resonance angiography showed an absence of signal in three venous sinuses. Coagulation study showed a protein C deficiency. A 17 years old woman presented a right hemiparesis in the sixth day of puerperium. CAT scan showed a left frontoparietal subcortical venous infarction. Coagulation study showed an antithrombin III deficiency